What a difference a few months can make. Earlier this year, Dubai was celebrating another record-breaking 12 months of tourism with a staggering 19.59 million international visitors logged in 2025.
But visitor numbers have dropped precipitously as a result of the recent US and Israeli war on Iran, with hotel occupancy rates decreasing from 80% to a projected 10% in the months after the emirate was the target of missile attacks in March.
Now officials are digging deep, into their pockets at least, to turn things around for the destination previously considered a safe haven in the Middle East.
A new program is offering UAE residents and citizens reward packages worth up to AED 3,000 (around $816) in exchange for nominating relatives or friends to come and visit Dubai.
What a difference a few months can make. Earlier this year, Dubai was celebrating another record-breaking 12 months of tourism with a staggering 19.59 million international visitors logged in 2025.
But visitor numbers have dropped precipitously as a result of the recent US and Israeli war on Iran, with hotel occupancy rates decreasing from 80% to a projected 10% in the months after the emirate was the target of missile attacks in March.
Now officials are digging deep, into their pockets at least, to turn things around for the destination previously considered a safe haven in the Middle East.
A new program is offering UAE residents and citizens reward packages worth up to AED 3,000 (around $816) in exchange for nominating relatives or friends to come and visit Dubai.
“At a time when personal connection and credibility matter more than ever in travel decisions, ‘A Dubai Invite’ speaks directly to what makes this city enduringly compelling: the people who call it home and who understand it best, and the families and friends they welcome here to experience it for themselves,” Noor Al Geziry, AVP, Special Projects & MENA at the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), said in a statement.
The new scheme is the latest in a series of attempts by officials to lure back tourists. Other efforts include the suspension of the nightly hotel tax charged at higher-end properties and the removal of the 7% municipal fee applied to hotel and restaurant bills.
Dubai has been working hard to reconstruct its tourism brand since Iran launched strikes across the Middle East earlier this year, with ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting the destination.
