Marhaba tourists: Dubai shows power of resilience

Nothing can lock down the spirit of Dubai, a never-miss destination for international travellers. The city of superlatives has extended a warm welcome back to tourists and the first set of visitors has already landed at the Dubai International Airport.

The ‘Safe Travel’ stamp issued by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has validated the stringent hygiene and safety protocols the city has put in place.

The Safe Travel stamp is a global initiative that gives travellers the opportunity to identify destinations that have implemented the highest standards of safety in line with international protocols and best practices designed to safeguard travellers amid the unprecedented pandemic.

When the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai Tourism, hosted a virtual forum for stakeholders and partners to share its industry outlook this week, it provided a first-hand insight into current and post-pandemic strategies that will help accelerate tourism momentum and position Dubai as a safe global destination.

Dubai’s tourism sector remains optimistic due to positive factors and indicators including the gradual reopening of borders; the lifting of travel restrictions in other countries; and the resumption of passenger flights by Emirates, which will operate flights to over 50 cities this month, and flydubai, which has resumed services to several destinations.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) teamed up with Snapchat to remind travellers that sunny days are ahead in Dubai and that it will return as a popular go-to destination for international visitors.

As part of Dubai Tourism’s #Till We Meet Again’ campaign, four augmented reality (AR) Snapchat Lenses were developed to transport users in the UK and France to Dubai to experience well-known destinations including the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Frame, Al Seef, and Madinat Jumeirah. The initiative was launched to spread positivity among those staying home amidst COVID-19.

Interestingly, more than 9.2 million people in the UK and France used the Dubai Tourism Lenses to virtually visit local landmarks. The campaign, which ran over a two-week period, had strong engagement with Snapchatters in the UK and France, exceeding time-spent expectations by more than 180%, before sharing it with friends and family on Snapchat.

Safety of tourists remains a top priority and various measures have been taken to ensure this.

Tourists and visitors coming to Dubai must complete five steps to enter the emirate. They must check if an entry visa is required or not, book a flight, have travel insurance that covers COVID-19 or bear treatment and isolation costs, apply for a PCR test in the tourist’s home country 96 hours before travel or make the test upon arrival in Dubai.

Visionary policies have paid rich dividends as proved by the fact that Dubai’s tourism industry closed a successful decade at the end of 2019, welcoming 16.73 million international overnight visitors, an all-time high, and a 5.1 per cent increase in tourism volumes, surpassing the global tourism growth forecast by the UN World Tourism Organisation, WTO, by over one per cent.

Dubai has been named one of the world’s top 10 cities for travellers to visit in 2020 by global travel authority, Lonely Planet, which announced its “Best in Travel 2020” list last October.

Major publications and news outlets such as CNN, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel & Leisure, Afar, Forbes and others have also acknowledged Dubai’s attractiveness as a tourist hotspot.

No wonder, Dubai remains on top of the mind for travellers and ranks high in global Internet search rankings for tourist destinations.