Dubai government merges economy and tourism departments

The restructuring aims to create a government model that’s flexible, efficient and responsive 

Ruler of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has announced the decision to merge Dubai Economy and Dubai Tourism into one entity.

The move is part of a plan approved by His Highness that seeks to develop government work in Dubai and enhance its efficiency and resilience in order to keep pace with rapid changes while ensuring the competitiveness of the business and tourism sectors in Dubai.

Helal Al Marri has been appointed director-general of the newly created Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism

His Highness said: “The newly formed Department seeks to support the economic and tourism transformations taking place in the emirate. It will adopt the same competitiveness and efficiency of the private sector and work together with it on various development projects.

“Dubai’s economy has witnessed different phases of development throughout its history, which has helped shape the city’s current status as a model for economic development and a preferred destination for tourism. Today, our ambitions have grown bigger and our priorities have changed. Raising our global competitiveness requires new ways of thinking.”

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The Department is tasked with meeting targets to further strengthen Dubai’s leading position in tourism and the global economy and make it the world’s best city to live and work in.

The targets include:

• increasing the added value of the industrial sector by 150% in the next five years;
• expanding export markets for local products by 50%;
• increasing the number of tourists coming to Dubai by 40% to 25 million visitors by 2025;
• making Dubai one of the top five global cities in the main economic indicators;
• attracting 100,000 companies in three years;
• hosting global economic events annually by 2025

The new structure will support decision-makers in developing policies and assessing the strategic performance of the economic sector. It will also help facilitate and reduce procedures related to the issuance of trade and tourism licenses to further promote Dubai’s competitiveness.

For more information, visit www.dubaitourism.gov.ae