DUBAI MERGES TOURISM AND ECONOMY DEPARTMENTS UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has merged the Dubai Economy and Dubai Tourism into one entity under the name ‘Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism’. Helal Al Marri has been appointed as Director General of the newly formed Department. The move aims to enhance efficiency and resilience in order to keep pace with rapid changes, while ensuring the competitiveness of the business and tourism sectors in Dubai. The Department is tasked with meeting 7 targets to further strengthen Dubai’s leading position in tourism and economy and make it the world’s best city to live in and work. These include increasing the added value of the industrial sector by 150% in the next 5 years, expanding export markets for local products by 50% and increasing the number of tourists coming to Dubai by 40% to 25 million visitors by 2025. It is also tasked with making Dubai one of the top 5 global cities in the main economic indicators, attracting 100,000 companies in 3 years as well as 400 global economic events annually by 2025. The new entity is also tasked with encouraging private and family-owned businesses to get listed on Dubai bourse. The Department of Economy and Tourism will also work to promote Dubai’s competitiveness in attracting foreign investments, increase exports, support SMEs, and develop new plans for Dubai’s new economic sectors.
EASTER ISLAND NOT REOPENING UNTIL FEBRUARY The Moai, Easter island, Chile
Easter Island, located 3,700km off the coast of Chile, will not be reopening to tourism until February 2022, making it 2 years without tourists due to the pandemic. LATAM flights will resume in February, operating between Santiago de Chile and the island. Travellers will have to carry a valid vaccination pass, in addition to undergoing a PCR test, taken at most 48 hours before boarding.
CUBA TOURISM TO REACTIVATE
The first tourists have begun to arrive back into Cuba, which relies heavily on tourism for its economy. Infection rates have dropped significantly across the country giving hope for a restart to tourism. Cuba has been closed for almost 2 years and is now keen to get back onto the world tourism stage.
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