Too expensive? Dubai wants to debunk tourists’ ‘misconceptions’

The tourism board is aiming to make Dubai one of the best cities in the world to live in and visit by 2033.

Dubai is renowned as a destination for lavish shopping, out-of-this-world hotels and adrenaline-pumping activities like diving into the world’s deepest pool or tiptoeing along the edge walk of a 219-metre-high skyscraper. 
But the city’s tourism authorities want to emphasise that not every trip there has to come with a hefty price tag. 
Their latest tourism campaign is focusing on dispelling “misconceptions” about the destination with a view to boosting visitor numbers in 2025. 
It includes demonstrating that Dubai isn’t just for wealthy travellers and promoting it as a year-round holiday spot. 
Dubai welcomed 13.29 million global visitors between January and September this year, a seven per cent increase on the same period in 2023.
Hoor Al Khaja, senior vice president of international operations at the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, said the new tourism strategy hopes to further grow tourist numbers next year. 
“There are misconceptions about Dubai and the region as a whole,” Al Khaja said.
“We have a saying which goes, ‘If you go, you know’. Once people visit Dubai, they realise the misconceptions were not factual perceptions. We are working hard to educate the public and the trade about that.”
Al Khaja, whose target is to make Dubai one of the best cities in the world to live in and visit by 2033, said one key misconception about the destination is that it is “financially unobtainable”. 
Dubai has the second-most five-star hotels in the world, but Al Khaja emphasises that there are plenty of affordable accommodation options too. 
“It’s no secret Dubai is home to a lot of luxury, iconic properties but there’s a variety of options available,” she said. “We have a healthy mix of affordable stays – and a three-star hotel in Dubai can compete with any four or five-star hotel globally. You’re really getting value for money.”
The tourist board also wants to change the assumption that Dubai is not a safe place for tourists to visit. 
Al Khaja said it was “understandable” that the conflict in the Middle East has sparked concern about visiting but put this down to “limitations in geography [knowledge]”.
“Once you’re there [in Dubai] you realise it’s not a factor,” she said. It is “one of the safest cities in the world”.
Dubai’s tourism authorities also want to promote the city as a year-round holiday spot, welcoming visitors in the summer as well as the winter.
“People are less apprehensive now about visiting Dubai in the summer,” Al Khaja said. “There’s more awareness about what there is to do in the summer; there are amazing resorts with amazing facilities.” 
She added that there are more indoor activities on offer now as well as “an element of affordable luxury in the summer”.
Visitors can cool off at Ski Dubai, eat at Chinatown inside Dubai Mall, explore the Museum of the Future or watch a performance at Dubai Opera.