Dubai wants its visitors to come back more often, and to find it easier to arrive. Two new initiatives announced at the weekend aim to do both.
Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, has launched the Dubai Access Club, which is billed as the world’s first city-wide tourism loyalty programme. Tourists will also be able to apply for visit visas through the official Visit Dubai website.
What the Access Club is
The club is an invitation-only membership programme for repeat visitors. Those invited will be offered exclusive experiences, services and benefits that make returning to Dubai more rewarding. The programme aims to strengthen visitors’ ties with Dubai and create closer connections with the city’s business community and wider economy.
Official announcements have so far been light on specifics. Time Out Dubai, however, has reported figures it attributes to the programme. It says successful applicants will get a five-year multi-entry visa allowing stays of up to 90 days at a time within a one-year period, a free du SIM card, and Dh2,000 in credit to spend at a selection of hotels, attractions and shops. It puts the application fee at Dh4,032.50, with an extra Dh650 for people applying from inside the UAE. These figures have not appeared in the official statements reviewed for this report, so readers should wait for confirmed terms before relying on them.
Visa applications move onto Visit Dubai
The second initiative is practical. Tourists planning a trip will be able to apply for single- and multiple-entry visas through Visit Dubai, the city’s official tourism website. The service puts visa applications on the same platform that travellers use to explore attractions, book tickets and plan trips.
Nothing changes in who decides. The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) will keep assessing applications and issuing visas, with more details about the service to be announced later. Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, GDRFA’s director general, described the move as a step toward a single digital journey while maintaining security and efficiency.
Visit Dubai will offer applications for single-entry and multiple-entry tourist visas, with plans to add further visa categories later. The site already lists the visa categories, fees, required documents and processing times, and the new option adds an application channel.
The strategy behind
Both measures support the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which aims to place the city among the world’s top three destinations for business and leisure. Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of the Department of Economy and Tourism, said the measures are designed to remove barriers, increase value for visitors and encourage repeat visits. Loyalty schemes are common among airlines and hotel chains. A city running one is unusual, and the invitation-only model suggests Dubai wants to target high-value, frequent travellers, rather than the broader tourist base.
Timing
The announcement comes as the winter tourism season begins. Hotels and attractions are preparing for a busy November and December, and more international flights are due to return. At the same time, regional tensions are still affecting some routes, particularly to Saudi Arabia. Visitors should check the status of their flights before they travel.
What remains unclear
Several questions are still open. It is not yet clear how invitations will be issued, what criteria will apply, or how many members the club will accept. The exact launch date in November has not been confirmed, and the visa application fee on Visit Dubai has not been separately announced.
What travellers should do now
Visitors planning trips to Dubai do not need to change anything at present. Existing visa channels remain open. Those who travel often can watch the Visit Dubai website for details of the new service, and for any announcement about how invitations to the club will be issued.
For Dubai, the aim is straightforward: make it easier to come, and give people more reasons to return
Comments 1