Dubai’s tourist chief has told TTG@WTM he welcomes the challenge from up and coming regional rivals like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and insists the competition will only drive up standards in Dubai and the wider Gulf region.

Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim, chief executive of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, stressed Dubai’s status as the number one destination in the region – and the world’s third most-visited city – meant there was no room or complacency with staunch competition from several European and transatlantic heavyweights.

“Dubai was blessed by not having natural resources to rely on, so it forced us to look for business opportunities elsewhere,” said Kazim. “And because of the lack of competition in the region, we started looking at places like Paris, London and New York – the trendsetters when it comes to tourism. It’s pushed us to compete at that level.”

Kazim said the region’s efforts to open up and create new destinations would help Dubai court new markets, such as France – a market he said emerged during the pandemic when Dubai was promoted as a safe destination.

“We managed to attract more and more visitors into the city, and then all of a sudden we started to see repeat visits and an increase in interest from France,” he added.

Kazim said this reputation had endured in the aftermath of the pandemic, and insisted the crisis in the Middle East – driven by Israel’s war with Hamas – wouldn’t have a material impact either.

His comments come after the UK Foreign Office recently issued updated travel advice for the UAE and Kuwait, warning of the potential for terror attacks.

“It’s important for people to realise that safety and security have always been the backbone of Dubai’s success,” said Kazim. “We don’t take the safety and security approach lightly, it’s very important for us and it will always be.”