His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, affirmed Dubai’s commitment to establishing itself as a model for civilized cities that provide all opportunities supporting development, growth, and prosperity for both its internal sectors and its partners from global institutions and companies of various sizes and specialties, as well as individuals with talents and creative capabilities in many qualitative fields. This is achieved through the adoption and activation of measures that enhance its attractiveness, making it a preferred choice for anyone with grand ambitions for success, in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the State, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai.
He stated, "Dubai continues to create new opportunities for success and development... granting our partners, whether companies or individuals, supportive conditions for growth, benefiting from being one of the fastest developing cities, as well as being among the safest and most open to the world, responsive to its developments... We listen carefully to the needs of our partners and spare no effort in meeting their aspirations and assisting them in achieving their ambitions, starting from Dubai."
This announcement coincides with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai starting to issue a "Tourist Entry Permit" valid for five years to facilitate business activities. This move aims to develop the economic, social, and competitive system and to reaffirm the UAE and Dubai's position among the main global tourist destinations. The multiple-entry permit allows its holder to stay in the country for 90 days, which can be extended for an equal period. The issuance of this new permit comes through close cooperation with the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai.
In line with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's vision of making Dubai the best city in the world for living, working, and visiting, this type of permit allows global companies to register via a special platform, facilitating their employees' travel to the country multiple times for participation in events, conferences, training courses, meetings, exhibitions, and other activities with ease and convenience.
The new multiple-entry permit joins a series of entry permits that have been introduced recently, such as the remote work permit, retirement in Dubai, golden residency, and others, all of which provide the suitable environment for living, working, and visiting one of the most distinctive global destinations in tourism and business, thanks to its advanced infrastructure and modern lifestyle, along with various measures ensuring the health and safety of Dubai’s residents and visitors through the strict application of the approved precautionary measures.
This step aligns with efforts to accelerate growth rates in the tourism sector, amid significant activity in Dubai during this period, particularly with the hosting of "Expo 2020 Dubai," the largest global event of its kind in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, as well as the golden jubilee celebrations of the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai is set to host a long list of festivals, diverse events, and activities in the coming period, providing exceptional experiences for its guests, thanks to its advanced infrastructure and unique geographical location in the heart of the world, with easy access through Emirates and Fly Dubai's global destination network, as well as a wide variety of destinations catering to both business and leisure needs, alongside multiple tourist attractions and activities suitable for everyone throughout the year.
The Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, Lieutenant General Muhammad Ahmed Al Merri, stated, "The new step of granting a five-year multiple entry tourist permit to employees of major companies enhances Dubai’s global reputation as a model for creative ideas, showing how welcoming it is to visitors of all nationalities and its keenness to simplify procedures to encourage repeated visits."
He emphasized the great care that Dubai's residency administration pays to facilitate the issuance of entry permits for all nationalities to contribute to achieving the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to raise the performance of various economic sectors to the highest levels and implement ideas that reinforce Dubai's position as a central hub for business, investment, and tourism.
He added, "Dubai has always been known for being a destination with all the attractions from unique destinations to distinguished services, and without a doubt, granting global companies the opportunity to obtain entry permits for their employees for five years will help increase the number of international visitors to Dubai, especially those arriving in groups, which will positively reflect on various economic sectors, particularly tourism."
For his part, the Director General of the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, Helal Saeed Al Marri, said, "This step aligns with efforts to realize the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to make Dubai the best city in the world for living and working, as well as the preferred travel destination and most attractive for tourists to return to."
He added, "Dubai possesses many capabilities, offers, and tourism components that enhance its attractiveness and place it at the top of the list of preferred destinations for global companies to hold their events and meetings, positively reflecting on business tourism. As the city returns to normal life and hosts more major events in the upcoming period, the provision for large companies to issue five-year tourist entry permits for their employees enables them to plan their activities and events in Dubai in advance."
Helal Al Marri highlighted the importance of enhancing partnerships between the public and private sectors, finding channels for consultation and cooperation benefiting all parties, thus solidifying Dubai's global position across various fields as a safe and preferred destination for all travelers.
The combined efforts between the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and the relevant parties and partners have contributed to restoring confidence and momentum to the travel sector, as Dubai welcomed approximately 3.85 million international visitors from January to September this year. The number of hotel establishments in the emirate reached 726, providing 132,868 hotel rooms, while Dubai ranked second globally during this period for hotel occupancy rates, averaging 61 percent, behind only London and Paris.
In September, the World Bank awarded Dubai a quality service certificate for investors, describing it as a world-class logistics platform. In a report titled "At Your Service? The Development Promise Driven by Services," the World Bank stated that Dubai is one of the world's leading examples of service centers, particularly in logistics and finance. Additionally, Dubai ranked first regionally and 11th globally among 25 global cities on the "Best Business Cities for Granting Residency Visas to Investors" index from Henley & Partners, a British consultancy specializing in residence and citizenship.
Global companies interested in this category of entry permits can follow the specified procedures through the website www.dubaimultiyear.com.
