Here's how Dubai is restarting global tourism after the pandemic

An evident popular first-choice as a safe tourism destination, Dubai has been at tracting visit or sand vacationers throughout 2021. Overcoming the impact of international travel restrictions in key global markets, Dubai strongholds regained momentum to register positive growth during 2021, with the No.1 source market India delivering 9,10,000 visitors (5.3 per cent YoY), followed by 4,91,000 travellers from Saudi Arabia (+22.8 per cent YoY), while Russia and United Kingdom contributed 4,44,000 visitors (+50.3 per cent YoY) and 4,20,000 visitors (+7.1 per cent YoY) respectively.

Decisive Measures
Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, said, “Under the visionary leadership and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohzammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and Prime Minister of UAE and the ruler of Dubai, our ability and agility in achieving a remarkable turnaround amid continuing global challenges has cemented Dubai’s position as the destination of choice for international travellers.


As we move forward, we are confident that the significant momentum will accelerate further to continue to attract not just tourists but also investors, entrepreneurs and innovators to Dubai, enabling them to enjoy and avail themselves of all that our multi-faceted city has to offer.”

Safe Travels Stamp
Mohammad Sarhan, V-P India and Nepal, Emirates, said, “At Emirates, we always looked ahead with optimism. The global advancement of vaccination drives, along with easing of travel restrictions, has elevated the recovery graph of international travel. The safety and well-being of our customers is priority. When Dubai safely reopened for tourists last year, we observed that customers were keen to travel, while adhering to all health and safety protocols. In fact, Dubai was one of the world’s first cities to obtain a Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). “Besides being popular for its pristine beaches, and world-class resorts, Dubai’s Expo 2020 attracted nine million visitors from October to December 2021. As a premium partner of Expo 2020, Emirates offers its customers a complimentary season pass to visit Dubai Expo 2020, with multiple entry access till March 31, 2022.” Supporting the city’s commitment to always offer something new, iconic festivals and events like the Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Summer Surprises, Dubai Fitness Challenge, Gulfood, ATM and Gitex successfully increased visitation by leisure and business travellers.

Accelerated Digital Adoption
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said, “Working with the UAE authorities and our service partners, we have tried to keep the airport experience as simple and easy as possible. We were one of the first international airports to welcome back visitors after Dubai re-opened for tourists in early July 2020, and the head-start has helped us develop processes that are easy and minimise waiting times A part of this effort was aimed at building capacity of the airport to deliver free and quick PCR tests on arrival for passengers. DXB houses the world’s largest inhouse lab that is capable of processing 100,000 PCT test samples a day and deliver results within four to six hours. The development and adoption of initiatives such as electronic health passports, touchless kiosks and biometric driven check-in and passport control really picked up speed over the past two years, resulting in significant enhancement in airport experience from the kerb to the boarding gate.”

Dubai Key Markets Regain Momentum
Robust international visitation was boosted by strong tourism arrivals from regional markets. MENA and GCC markets collectively contributed to 26 per cent of the total volumes, reinforcing Dubai’s continued appeal to travellers from proximity markets. Western Europe accounted for 22 per cent of total visitors in 2021, with visitation led by the UK, followed by France, Germany, Italy and Netherlands. South Asia contributed 18 per cent of the international visitation with Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe together making a 15 percent contribution.