The Ministry of Economy and Tourism on 16 September unveiled a new federal-level visitor brand, “Visit UAE”, at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. It is the first time the country’s seven emirates will market themselves abroad under a single umbrella, a move officials say is critical to achieving the National Tourism Strategy 2031 goal of raising the sector’s contribution to GDP to AED 450 billion and welcoming 40 million hotel guests a year. A centre-piece of the new brand is the UAE Grand Tour platform, developed with Rocket International and the individual tourism authorities of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Through UAEGrandTour.com, overseas visitors—and the travel trade—can book curated, multi-emirate itineraries of up to 14 days that bundle accommodation, transport, excursions and dining into one transaction. The idea is to coax travellers beyond a single city stay, lengthening average trips and spreading spend more evenly across the federation. Industry analysts say a unified brand should simplify marketing spend, give medium-sized emirates access to Dubai’s global reach and help position the country as a hub for regional meetings and incentives (MICE) business. With Dubai International Airport handling more than 4 million departing international seats in September alone, connectivity is already in place. The challenge will be to ensure inter-emirate transport, hotel allocation and digital ticketing keep pace with any surge in multi-stop demand. For corporate mobility managers, the integrated platform could make arranging executive off-sites or rotational assignments across multiple emirates more straightforward. Travel buyers will be able to access negotiated rates and ground logistics through a single interface; meanwhile, immigration rules remain unchanged, meaning the popular 60-day entry visa can still cover the whole itinerary. The launch comes as the UAE prepares to take its “World’s Coolest Winter” domestic campaign overseas for the first time, promising even more coordinated promotion. Success will be measured in longer stays, higher repeat visits and greater dispersion of visitor spend—outcomes that would further entrench the country’s status as the Gulf’s most diversified mobility hub.
Source: Gulf News
