Emirates Tourism Council presents plans to expand tourism

Dubai: The Emirates Tourism Council has approved a joint action plan of the Ministry of Economy and local tourism departments. The joint initiative aims to increase the inflow of international tourists to the UAE as well as open new tourism markets to attract tourists. The plan includes large-scale promotional campaigns targeting several promising destinations that could drive tourists to visit the UAE, introducing the long-term and multiple-entry tourist visa recently announced by the government, and promoting the country’s distinctive tourism destinations, recreational activities, and services. “The tourism sector was able to achieve outstanding performance rates and enhanced the level of recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 crisis to stand today and move towards a new stage of growth and development to further increase its contribution to supporting the national economy,” said Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs and Chairman of the Council. Al Falasi highlighted that with the support and directives of the country’s wise leadership and the relentless efforts across the country to distribute Covid-19 vaccines on a large scale and at a rapid pace, more than 83 per cent of the residents have been vaccinated which has strengthened the country’s ability to contain the pandemic and sped up its recovery and growth rates in various sectors, foremost of which is the tourism sector. He commended the great efforts and the continuous cooperation and coordination between local tourism authorities and various departments to revitalize and develop the UAE tourism sector. He said the results achieved during the last 12 months provides a strong foundation to increase the number of tourists entering the country during the Expo Dubai 2020, noting that the outputs and plans that were agreed upon during the council meeting are important as they offer advanced solutions and initiatives which can help open new markets and enhance the country’s position on the global tourism map as one of the world’s best and safest sustainable tourism destinations. The council also adopted a coordination system at the federal and local levels to develop new and integrated initiatives and solutions where all the emirates’ tourism sector can benefit from the hosting of the Expo Dubai 2020 in October 2021. The global event expects delegations from more than 190 countries to be arriving in the country throughout the exhibition period.