Dubai to dial up its appeal in a bid to draw more tourists
From enhancing investments to easing visas, the strategy is multifaceted
Dubai is well placed to enhance investments in the hotel sector, unveil additional attractions, and introduce innovative visa schemes to cater to the growing demand for tourism. Dubai is also working towards exploring new source markets, Hoor Al Khaja, senior vicepresident of international operations, Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), told Gulf News on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market.
“There is [already] a lot of support regarding new hotel chains. However, there are many plans to develop different areas of the city, such as the Palm Jebel Ali and others. And you will see more and more investments and attractions the government supports in those spaces,” said Hoor.
Hotel rooms on the rise
Dubai’s hotel room inventory as of January 2024 rose by 2 per cent to 150,408 rooms compared to 147,199 at the same time last year.
“We have already had an increase in hotel rooms in the last few years, and investment [in the sector] will continue to flow. And it won’t be across just one segment such as resorts or budget [stays], but across different places in the city to ensure the supply is also diverse so that we get all kinds of visitors,” stated Hoor.
These also include hotel apartments and holiday homes, said the official. Dubai has set ambitious targets to boost inbound tourist numbers up to 25 million by 2025, after attracting 17.15 million international visitors in 2023, surpassing the previous 2019 record of 16.73 million. And in the first three months of 2024, the Emirate welcomed 11 per cent higher than last year.
Dubai’s diversified approach means not relying on just one or two source markets. The Emirate covers more than 40 source markets, which have proven beneficial during and after the pandemic.
“We continue to explore different markets, nurturing our existing ones while venturing into new ones. For instance, in the last couple of years, we’ve started focusing more on Turkey and Pakistan, which were not traditionally our main markets,” she said. “We remain aligned with where Emirates and other airlines are flying, targeting various segments, including leisure, business, destination weddings, and medical and wellness tourism.”
In the last couple of years, we’ve started focusing more on Turkey and Pakistan, which were not traditionally our main markets.”
Hoor Al khaja | Senior VP of international operations at Dubai DET
China a key market
Hoor also said China remains a crucial market for Dubai.
“China’s outbound market, not just to Dubai but globally, hasn’t fully recovered from the pandemic. Despite this, due to the strong relationship between the UAE and Chinese governments, we were among the first to receive priority for flight resumption.
“The affinity of Chinese travellers for Dubai is extremely high. However, we have not yet reached the pre2019 levels; it’s what we call a ‘recovery market’.”