Dubai expects to draw more overseas visitors in 2022 than the 7.28 million tourists it hosted last year, as the emirate focuses on new source markets, offers flexible visa categories and attracts more companies, its tourism chief has said.
The emirate is further diversifying its tourism source markets with a focus on Latin America, eastern Europe and the US, Issam Kazim, chief executive of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, told The National in an interview at the Arabian Travel Market on Thursday.
"The way things are looking now we should exceed last year's number for sure because this is the least the city should expect," he said. "We're hoping most of the other markets will continue to open up more and more and that we don't go into any other restrictions."
Dubai, the commercial and trading centre of the Middle East, recorded about 4 million visitors in the first quarter of this year, up 214 per cent compared to the same period last year, government data showed. It also ranked first in the world in terms of the hotel occupancy rates, with hospitality establishments recording a rate of 82 per cent in the first three months of 2022. The city was one of the first destinations to reopen to tourists in June 2020, after it had put in place measures to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
The lockdown in China, one of the top source markets for Dubai before the pandemic, is a "big concern" and the emirate is pushing to open new markets, Mr Kazim said.
"Latin America ... there is potential for sure and we're working with Emirates Airline because it is a long-haul destination, so we're trying to make sure that we're doing point-to-point where possible but also doing transfers where we can,.
"Eastern European markets are a huge potential for us," Mr Kazim said, citing Poland, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as examples. "There's more to do there for us."
The number of Russian visitors to the emirate has remained "stable" in the first quarter since the Russia-Ukraine war, says Mr Kazim, with Dubai remaining a destination where they can explore business and leisure opportunities.
While Russian many foreign airlines are subject to reciprocal airspace bans and other curbs that have greatly curtailed flights, Dubai’s Emirates Airline provides one of the few remaining travel links between Russia and the rest of the world.
Dubai is aiming for 25 million overseas visitors by 2025. The emirate also has ambitions to become the most visited city in the world, up from its current fourth spot behind Bangkok, London and Paris.
To accommodate the planned increase in tourists, Dubai is eyeing a bigger supply of hotels across the city's various districts with a diverse mix from luxury to budget rooms, Mr Kazim said.
The emirate currently has 150,000 hotel rooms and is evaluating the future growth in the number of guests to tailor the new supply accordingly, Mr Kazim said, without providing a number for new hotel rooms to come into the market by 2025.
Meanwhile, Dubai does not have plans currently to introduce gaming facilities as there is scope to develop other offerings, Mr Kazim said.
"As far as I know, there is no indication that it will happen in Dubai anytime soon," he said.
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
The five pillars of Islam
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
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