Dubai offers AED3k discount deals to residents if they bring family to visit

Visitors can enter Dubai by air, sea or road during the campaign window.

Dubai has launched a programme for UAE residents and citizens offering benefits worth more than $817 (AED3,000) if nominated overseas guests enter the emirate.

Known as ‘Dubai Invite’, the scheme will provide savings on a range of perks, from hotel bookings to free days out at landmark attractions and lifestyle services.

It comes as part of a major drive to boost tourism after months of disruption. Visitor arrivals must occur from July 20 to October 31.

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism said residents can invite family members and friends living outside the UAE. Each resident can secure three reward packages during the campaign.

Hotels restaurants and transport brands participate

Hotel partners include W Dubai Mina Seyahi, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi and Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Waterpark.

Meliá Desert Palm and IHG Hotels & Resorts also participate. Careem and Hala appear among the lifestyle and transport brands supporting the campaign.

Combined benefits exceed $817 (AED3,000) for every eligible package. Residents receive access to accommodation, dining, leisure and mobility offers through one reward email.

Each participating operator sets its own booking conditions, availability periods and redemption requirements. Campaign validity runs until December 31 unless specific partner terms set another deadline.

DET’s partner structure directs nominated visitor demand across several tourism spending categories. Hotel inventory, restaurant capacity, attraction admissions and local transport services all receive access to campaign participants.

Residents must register visitors before arrival

UAE citizens and residents aged 18 or older can participate with a valid Emirates ID.

Nominees must live outside the UAE and guests must travel using a valid tourist visa or qualify for visa on arrival.

Visitors can enter Dubai by air, sea or road during the campaign window. Programme rules exclude visa processing. Guests remain responsible for securing required travel documentation.

Residents must submit visitor details through the official online nomination form before each guest arrives. Each form accepts up to five visitors.

Separate submissions allow residents to register further guests. Each visitor qualifies for one nomination throughout the campaign.

Duplicate nominations do not generate additional rewards. Programme systems recognise the first eligible resident who registered that visitor.

Arrival verification triggers each reward package

Dubai authorities automatically verify each nominated visitor’s arrival. Residents do not need to report an entry or upload further arrival documents.

DET sends the reward package by email within 72 hours of a verified entry. Issuance starts during August 2026.

Benefits remain valid until December 31 unless an individual offer carries an earlier expiry date. Redemption instructions accompany each reward email.

Each eligible resident can receive three packages. Residents can nominate additional visitors after reaching that reward limit, but further arrivals will not unlock another package.

Automatic verification removes a separate claims process. Entry confirmation links each registered nomination directly with an international arrival through Dubai’s border channels.

Programme controls also restrict each visitor to one successful nomination. That rule protects allocation volumes and prevents duplicate reward issuance.

Dubai expands resident-led visitor acquisition

Dubai welcomed 19.59 million international overnight visitors during 2025, representing 5 per cent annual growth. Arrivals reached 18.72 million during 2024.

December 2025 generated more than two million visitors for the first time. January 2026 recorded two million overnight guests, rising 3 per cent from January 2025.

A Dubai Invite adds resident referrals to DET’s international visitor acquisition activity. Campaign dates cover a 104-day arrival window from July through October.

Resident nominations provide DET with visitor details before travel. Border verification then confirms which invitations converted into completed arrivals.

Hotel, dining and attraction rewards extend visitor spending beyond the initial journey. Operators gain access to nominated guests and their UAE-based hosts through the same campaign cycle.

Dubai’s resident population provides an established international network across major source markets. DET can measure successful referrals through arrival data and cap programme exposure through three packages per resident.