Tourism

New visa regulations designed to allow foreign visitors undergoing medical treatment to stay for up to nine months are expected to reinforce Dubai’s appeal as a health tourism destination, and are part of a plan to build further on an already-developed industry.

While cruise tourism is a relatively new market in Dubai – the government has promoted the segment only since 2001 – over the course of the past decade the emirate has become one of the region’s busiest stop-offs for cruise liners from around the world. In 2011 the cruise terminal at Dubai’s Port Rashid welcomed 108 cruise ships, up from 103 ships...

The political unrest that swept through the Middle East and North Africa since late 2010 has had a deleterious economic effect on many countries in the region. The uprisings – known collectively as the “Arab Spring” – have overturned longstanding governments in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen, and caused prolonged periods of instability in a handful...

In early March 2012 the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). The agreement formalised the longstanding collaborative relationship between the government’s tourism and sports development arms, and is expected to result in increased cooperation between the...

When the global economic downturn hit Dubai’s tourism sector in 2008-09, the luxury segment, in particular, suffered substantial losses. The emirate’s extravagant high-end hotels, many of which commanded room rates in excess of $1000 per night prior to the crisis, were forced to lower their prices substantially to maintain occupancy rates, for...

In the four years since the 2008-09 economic downturn swept the world, Dubai’s hotel industry has experienced substantial volatility. Occupancy and revenue per available room (RevPAR) rates dropped substantially in the wake of the crisis, especially at high-end luxury properties, as wealthy leisure tourists made an effort to reduce their...