Dubai: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, has launched the 4th season of the ‘World’s Coolest Winter Campaign’. It aims to further support the tourism sector in line with the UAE’s domestic tourism strategy launched in 2020.
Sheikh Mohammed said that, “Today, the UAE launches a new season of the annual national tourism campaign, the ‘World’s Coolest Winter Campaign’. The UAE is witnessing a rising tourist flow due to its beautiful weather, natural resources, architectural treasures, cultural landmarks, and above all its kind and hospitable people.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid added that, “The national tourism sector witnesses an annual growth. Our goal is to increase the sector’s contribution to GPD to reach 450 billion dirhams by 2031.”
The slogan for the latest season of ‘World’s Coolest Winter Campaign’ is “Unforgettable Stories”. The campaign includes various programs, events, and activities. It aims to support domestic tourism all over the UAE. Further, the initiative also intends to attract tourists across the globe to enjoy the beauty of the winter season in the UAE and its tourist treasures.
The success of the previous season strongly supports the new season. In the 3rd edition, the number of tourists reached 1.4 million. It showed an 8 percent increase in number of tourists during the second season of the campaign. The campaign’s content reached 190 million people all over the world and reached 159 million views.
The ‘World’s Coolest Winter Campaign’ aims to highlight the key tourist attractions in each emirate of the country. It also aspires to provide full support to visitors, with an agenda full of events and activities.
Mr. Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council stated that, “The ‘World’s Coolest Winter Campaign’ contributes to the efforts made all over the country to further support the inbound and outbound tourism sectors and to achieve more accomplishments to cement the UAE position as the top tourism destination regionally and globally.”
Mr. Al Marri also added that, “The UAE tourism sector witnessed high performance and was able to outperform many international tourism markets.”
The UAE tourism sector delivered a promising performance throughout as the revenues of hotel establishments increased to AED32.2 billion ($8.7 billion) from January to September 2023, a growth rate of 27 percent compared to the same period in 2022. The number of guests in hotel establishments reached 20.2 million during the same period, a growth of 12 percent compared to the same period in 2022. The hotel occupancy rate reached 75 percent during the first 9 months of last year, a growth rate of 6 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
UAE offers diverse tourism products. The eco-tourism is witnessing remarkable growth as natural sites, oases, and mountains turn into a green paradise in the winter. The country is also famous for desert tourism. It offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy many recreational activities in the deserts, such as safari trips.
The cultural and heritage tourism sector, benefits from the various historical and heritage sites and museums. Beach tourism is also showing a growing momentum.
The mountains in UAE, offer wide options such as climbing, hiking, and mountain biking. Adventure tourism is rapidly growing with activities like diving and skydiving.
Shopping is one of the most famous tourist activities in UAE. The country organizes continuous shopping festivals in addition to its world-class shopping centers.