Dubai aims to rid ‘misconceptions’ to boost tourism figures

Dubai wants to rid the “misconceptions” people have about it and promote itself as a year-round destination to grow its visitor numbers in 2025.

The United Arab Emirates city attracted 13.29m global visitors between January and September this year, representing a 7% increase on the same period in 2023.

From the UK market the destination welcomed about 980,000 visitors – a 12% increase on the first nine months of last year.

Hoor Al Khaja, senior vice-president of international operations at the Dubai Department of Economy, said the destination is attempting to change the common perceptions of the city to surpass these figures next year.

“There are misconceptions about Dubai and the region as a whole,” said Hoor Al Khaja, senior vice-president of international operations at the Dubai Department of Economy.

“We have a saying which goes, ‘If you go, you know’. Once people visit Dubai, they realise the misconceptions were not factual perceptions. We are working hard to educate the public and the trade about that.”

More: Our guide to new hotels in Dubai

Al Khaja, who set out her goal to make Dubai one of the best cities in the world to live in and visit by 2033, said one of the main misconceptions about Dubai is that it is “financially unobtainable”, but she stressed there is a range of affordable accommodation alongside the well-known luxury properties.

“It’s no secret Dubai is home to a lot of luxury, iconic properties but there’s a variety of options available,” she said. “We have a healthy mix of affordable stays – and a three-star hotel in Dubai can compete with any four or five-star hotel globally. You’re really getting value for money.”

Al Khaja said there is also a common belief that Dubai is not a safe place for tourists to visit, when it is “one of the safest cities in the world”.

While she said concern among travellers about conflict in the Middle East is “understandable”, she attributed it to “limitations in geography [knowledge]”, adding: “Once you’re there [in Dubai] you realise it’s not a factor.”

She said the tourist board is working to establish itself as a year-round destination that attracts tourists in the summer months as well as the winter.

“People are less apprehensive now about visiting Dubai in the summer,” she said. “There’s more awareness about what there is to do in the summer; there are amazing resorts with amazing facilities. There are more indoor activities and a different subset of things to do.

“There’s also an element of affordable luxury in the summer.”

Al Khaja said 2024 has been “very healthy year demand-wise” in terms of visitor numbers and set her sights on surpassing the overall number in 2025, with “very aggressive” marketing plans in place.

She said the UK trade would play a big role in helping the destination achieve this aim

“It’s no secret that in the UK the travel trade is a huge part of our success,” she said. “They have a strong client base and our work with them continues to grow.

“We work with so many travel agents in this market and we have very exciting familiarisation trips lined up for 2025. We continue to support agents with training and events and by supplying them with the right materials and assets.”