The new campaign to promote tourism in Dubai has surpassed expectations. Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) introduced the Dubai Invite initiative to promote UAE residents and citizens to invite family and friends from outside the UAE. Eligible participants were rewarded with packages of AED3,000 for their participation.

The reaction was highly positive and strong. The number of applications received was over 10,000 in 48 hours after the programme’s launch. This is an extraordinary demand so the power authorities have announced that they will be looking at the original cap on the number of reward packages that will be available.

The scheme mirrors Dubai’s efforts to boost its tourism from abroad as well as encouraging local residents to contribute to the promotion of the emirate as a tourist hub.

What Is the Dubai Invite Programme?

Dubai Invite is a Tourism programme launched by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. The campaign invites members of the UAE community and citizens to bring friends and family who are abroad to visit Dubai.

The programme does not reward visitors with cash, but with a rewards package worth AED3,000 once the visitor has fulfilled the requirements of the programme.

The goal is simple:

Enhance international tourist numbers.
Encourage family reunions.
Increase investments in the tourism industry throughout Dubai.
Help hotels, restaurants, attractions and entertainment establishments.

The programme empowers residents to act as ambassadors for tourism and offers them great benefits.

What Does the AED3,000 Reward Include?

Successful candidates can receive benefits valued at around AED3,000 and are offered a variety of benefits in each category.

These rewards include:

Hotel stay discounts
Complimentary hotel experiences
Dining vouchers
Attraction tickets
Lifestyle offers
Entertainment experiences
10% discount on participating partners’ special offers and discounts.

All participants don’t receive any monetary rewards, but rather have exclusive experiences that motivate them and future visitors to Dubai. The incentive package will allow visitors to see more of the City and support local businesses.

More Than 10,000 Applications in Only Two Days

One of the most unexpected aspects of the Dubai Invite campaign has been the rate of people’s reaction to it. Within the first 48 hours of the availability of the programme, Dubai authorities report that more than 10,000 people applied.

It shows some key trends, such as:

The residents of the UAE are actively seeking their family and friends to visit Dubai.
The campaigns of reward-based tourism are given much attention from the public.
Dubai continues to be one of the top tourist destinations worldwide.

The initial expectations were far surpassed with the response.

Authorities Reviewing Reward Package Limits

Dubai officials confirmed that due to applications arriving in larger numbers than expected, they are looking at the original cap of the number of reward packages available. The Department of Economy and Tourism said the overwhelming response has led to talks to boost the number of rewards.

A decision on further packages has yet to be made, but the review shows the programme’s success. Candidates are requested to check the official notification for further updates related to eligibility and further rewards on the subject.

Why Did the Programme Become So Popular?

Dubai Invite was highly successful thanks to a number of factors.

Valuable Rewards

A package of AED3,000 is a worthwhile offer for those who want to have family or friends visit them from outside the country.

Family Reunions

A significant number of people residing in the UAE have family members in other countries. The initiative provides an extra incentive for those visits.

Tourism Experiences

Rather than a single discount, participants have access to a number of experiences in hotels, attractions, restaurants and lifestyle.

Easy Concept

The programme is as simple as it sounds: Bring someone to Dubai, go through the process and enjoy special tourism benefits. The simplicity helped to draw nearly everyone who applied for it, thousands of people in just a few days.

Dubai’s Tourism Industry Continues to Break Records

Dubai Invite is an achievement that coincides with one of Dubai’s biggest tourism successes. International overnight visitors totalled 19.59 million in Dubai during 2025, which corresponds to an increase of around 5% over 2024.

The rises in these figures indicate that Dubai remains a popular tourist destination even amidst the intense competition from other tourist destinations around the globe. The high demand from abroad is beneficial for the airlines, hotels, restaurants, retail stores, entertainment, transport and thousands of tourism-related jobs.

December 2025 and January 2026 Set New Milestones

Another milestone in tourism was also achieved in Dubai.

Both:

December 2025
January 2026

recorded more than two million international visitors each.

The two million milestone in a row is a testament to Dubai’s continued rise to become a global tourist hotspot during the busy winter travel season. These tremendous figures resulted from a number of factors:

Pleasant winter weather
Major shopping festivals
International events
Family-friendly attractions
Luxury hospitality
Excellent airline connectivity
Dubai’s assets remain what make it a top tourist hotspot in the world.
Dubai’s tourism economy from a new perspective.

Supporting Dubai’s Tourism Economy

Each foreign tourist makes expenditures in various industries such as:

Hotels
Restaurants
Shopping malls
Theme parks
Museums
Beaches
Transportation
Entertainment venues

Dubai is expanding its visitors by inviting foreign guests by inviting them through trusted contacts, in contrast with traditional advertising campaigns. Families coming to visit spend more and stay longer during their holiday and thus have further economic rewards.

A New Approach to Tourism Marketing

Dubai Invite is different from conventional tourism promotions which specifically target international visitors, as it is aimed at the existing population of Dubai. Residents, of course, become ambassadors of the city by sharing their personal experiences with their relatives and friends abroad.

This is a good plan to pursue for several reasons:

More trust between visitors and hosts
More true-to-life travel advice.
Increased family travel
Stronger visitor satisfaction
An increased risk for re-visits.

This has left the overwhelming response, indicating that this community tourism model fits very well with the UAE residents.

What Happens Next?

Applications have already exceeded 10,000 in just two days and many people are awaiting to find out if Dubai will expand the programme. Police are still investigating how many people have taken part and considering if more reward packages will be offered.

All potential applicants are advised to adhere to the official announcements of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism for any updates on eligibility, application periods and future developments of the programme. With this success, it is possible that similar tourism projects might be a key factor in Dubai’s visitor numbers in the future.

Final Thoughts

The Dubai Invite programme has been one of the buzzed-about tourism initiatives in Dubai in no time. This was worth AED3,000 worth of travel, meals, hotel and attraction benefits which led thousands of UAE residents to invite loved ones from abroad.

The overwhelming response of over 10,000 applications in just 48 hours not only underlines the enticement of the incentive package, but also Dubai’s ongoing status as a world-class destination.

The initiative, along with 19.59 million international overnight visitors in 2025 and back-to-back months of over two million visitors, bolsters Dubai’s status as one of the world’s fastest-growing tourist destinations. The implementation of the programme is proving successful, with authorities looking at the rewards limits; many residents wish that more residents would be able to participate in the scheme.