Dubai offers residents 3,000 AED to invite overseas guests

Dubai has launched a major incentive program encouraging residents to invite overseas friends and family to visit, offering reward packages worth over 3,000 UAE dirhams (approximately $610) per visitor in an effort to revive a tourism sector hit hard by regional conflict. The "A Dubai Invite" campaign, run by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, allows each resident to claim up to three benefit packages for visitors who arrive between July 20 and October 31, 2026.

The benefit packages include complimentary hotel stays, dining vouchers, attraction tickets, and other lifestyle offers, which are redeemable until December 31, 2026. To qualify, invited guests must be non-UAE residents traveling on valid tourist visas. Officials described the initiative as turning residents into ambassadors for the city. Local media reported the scheme attracted more than 10,000 applications within its first 48 hours.

The campaign follows a severe downturn for Dubai's tourism industry, which had set a record with nearly 20 million international visitors in 2025. That growth was interrupted after intensified conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran earlier this year drew the Gulf...