Skift Take
It's interesting to note how each of Dubai's ambitious economic predictions rests on its tourism prowess and its ability to attract international visitors.
Middle East Travel Roundup
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, launched the Dubai Economic Agenda — D33 with the ambitious goal of doubling the size of Dubai's economy over the next decade. With economic targets of $8.7 trillion over the next 10 years, the agenda also aims to establish Dubai’s position among the top three global cities. A key priority of the D33 Agenda is to make Dubai one of the top three international destinations for tourism and business by providing a globally competitive environment for business and driving down the cost of doing business across a number of sectors. The agenda also includes the launch of innovative projects to help make Dubai the world’s best city to live and work in as well as drive sustainable economic growth through innovative approaches. “Dubai will rank as one of the top four global financial centers with an increase in foreign direct investment to over $177 billion over the next decade and an annual $27.2 billion contribution from digital transformation,” the Dubai ruler said.
In an effort to simplify the process for homeowners and operators to acquire permits to convert their homes into holiday homes, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority has announced updates to its holiday homes system. The online system allows owners and operators to book an inspection appointment for the registered units and also provides classification service for the units in compliance with the regulations related to holiday rentals in the emirate. With a growing number of visitors booking longer stays in the emirate, Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said, “We want to tap into this trend and have therefore updated our holiday homes rental system to make it even easier for homeowners and operators to register, organize permits for and convert their units.” Ras Al Khaimah welcomed over 1.13 million overnight arrivals in 2022, an increase of 15.6 percent compared to 2021. In 2019, the emirate had received around 1.1 million arrivals.
With a target to attract over six million international visitors a year by 2030, Qatar Tourism has partnered with Kazunion, one of Kazakhstan’s largest tour operators, to operate four commercial charter flights a week from Almaty and Astana to Qatar via FlyArystan from January to March