Dubai is expected to become the third most-visited city in the world by surpassing Paris this year. Dubai is the fourth most-visited city after Bangkok, London, and Paris. Tourism and Travel is one of the highly booming industries in Dubai.
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The growth is driven by the efforts of the Government of Dubai such as the Visa-on-Arrival incentives, multimedia campaigns, building of new tourist attractions, creation of world-class transport links, private partnerships for world-class hospitality infrastructure, etc.
Tourism Industry in Dubai
The Government of Dubai has a host of initiatives in place to drive key sectors of the economy and mainly the tourism industry.
Current Growth Drivers of Dubai Tourism Boom
- Customized Marketing promotions
- Campaigns with Celebrity Ambassadors
- Digital and Multi-media Marketing Campaign
Future Growth Drivers
- Transits Passengers exempted from Entry Fees for 48 hours
- Future Visa Regulations
- Exempting Dependents aged 18 years or below from Visa Fees
- The Popularity of the Cruise Industry in Dubai
Why is Dubai a favorite choice for its Visitors?
The mega tourist projects, large-scale amusement parks, tallest buildings, pristine beaches, mighty mountains, and beautiful deserts, UAE has it all for you. The number of cruise tourists visiting Dubai has significantly grown in the past year. Figures indicate a total of 625,000 cruise tourists have visited Dubai on 157 ships in the last year.
Dubai is positioning itself as the world’s leading family destination with tonnes of family-friendly attraction around the city. Another key focus is to highlight the tradition, heritage, and culture of the unique city through the museums and oldest Dubai cities of Fahidi, Bur Dubai, and Deira.
Over 40 percent of tourist traffic flows to Dubai from GCC, UK, and Germany. The rest from India, China, Southeast Asia, Russia, and other parts of the world. Dubai’s hospital industry is all set to welcome the tourists flocking to Dubai. As of 2017, UAE had 767 hotels with 147,000 rooms and more than 30,000 new rooms are planned to be completed by the end of 2019 to meet the demand from the upcoming Expo 2020.
The average daily rates seem to be lowering over the past few years with the revenue per available room dipping, however, the inflow of tourists is expected to raise the occupancy rate and revenue for the hoteliers.
Recent Tourism Initiatives in Dubai to Boost the Travel and Tourism Industry
The UAE government is focused on boosting the travel and tourism sector with a host of initiatives:
- The government fees of Dh 1000 per PRO card, aside from an annual renewal fee is waived off as part of an initiative to boost the tourism industry
- To encourage tourism during the summers, children will be exempt from tourist visas if traveling to the country between July 15 and September 15 every year.
- Transit visas can be extended up to 96 hours at a cost of Dh50. The express counters at the passport control will facilitate this process.
- The tourism fees in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were also reduced to enhance the hotel occupancy rate
- Abu Dhabi reduced the 6 percent tourist fees for hotel rooms and outlets to 3.5 percent, halved municipality fees to 2 percent, and lower the per room per night hotel fee to Dh 10 from Dh 15. The tenure of these cuts is not disclosed
Free Sim Cards for Tourists Entering Dubai
All tourists entering Dubai will receive a free Pre-Paid Mobile SIM card as part of the ‘happiness’ project launched by Du Telecom, The General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA-Dubai), and Smart Dubai
The Free Tourist SIM Card (Valid for 30 days) will be handed over to all tourists above 18 years old at the immigration counter. The traveller’s passport and valid visit visa will be the requirements to receive the free SIM card.
The SIM card can be activated by inserting it into your phone and dialling the customer care number. The SIM card will have 3 flexible minutes with 3-day validity. It is to be topped up with a suitable package for
1. Pay Dh25 and get 150 MB data – 10 flexible minutes, three-day validity
2. Pay Dh55 and get 500 MB data – 20 flexible minutes, seven-day validity
3. Pay Dh110 and get 2 GB data – 40 flexible minutes and 14-day validity
Dubai is all set to welcome its rising tourism demand with all possible initiatives, tourist attractions, transportation links, hospitality, government support, etc.
Dubai is focusing on boosting its tourism and travel industry by setting up world-class tourist attractions for all kinds of visitors like business, and adventure enthusiasts, and a special focus on family visitors as it aims to be the most family-friendly destination in the world.
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