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Mohammed Bin Rashid Launches Second Season Of World’s Coolest Winter |
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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, today launched the second season of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign. Launched at a special event at Expo 2020 Dubai site, this year’s edition will expand on last year’s campaign and will cover both domestic and foreign tourism. The launch ceremony was attended by H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, and Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, alongside other ministers and officials from local tourism authorities and federal entities. In a series of tweets through his official account, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, "Today, we launched the second season of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign, in collaboration with federal entities and local tourism departments, reinforcing the UAE as one destination, as we outlined in the Principles of the 50." He then tweeted, "The primary target audience of the campaign is domestic and family oriented, with the aim of gathering our families in our beautiful nation. We want families from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to enjoy Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, and families from other emirates to experience Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Everyone should enjoy the Emirates." Sheikh Mohammed noted that the UAE’s winter is pure as the soul of the nation’s people, noting that "the world’s coolest winter is in the world’s most beautiful country among the world’s most pleasant people". He added, "The UAE’s tourism recovered the quickest globally. The seven emirates have rich history, geography, nature, urban architecture, and community. The UAE’s archaeological sites, culture centers, historical landmarks, and nature reserves, offer visitors a holistic experience." The second season of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign is carried out by the UAE Government Media Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and relevant tourism and culture entities. It is the largest campaign of its kind and will highlight the diversity of the UAE’s touristic and recreational attractions, the beauty of its natural landscapes, and the hospitality of its people, it will run from 15th December 2021 until the end of January 2022 to familiarise residents and international tourists with the activities that the UAE winter offers. Open Invitation This year’s World’s Coolest Winter campaign is an open invitation to all citizens and residents, as well as visitors to the UAE, to capture their most beautiful experiences, adventures and memorable moments in various parts of the country and share them across digital platforms. It is hoped that this will result in inspiring photo and video content on the UAE’s tourist and entertainment experiences, cultural events and enjoyable adventures, highlighting not only the country’s diversity but also its safety and the effective measures taken against COVID-19. The campaign also opens the door for influencers and celebrities from the country, the Arab region and the world to introduce the most prominent tourist attractions to their millions of followers. Key Human Element This year’s edition of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign celebrates the human element in every visit to the UAE, which is central to its status as a sought-after global tourist destination with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and is reflected in its values of tolerance, inclusion and respect for every visitor from every background. Locally and Globally The "World’s Coolest Winter" campaign is expanding this year to target international visitors, presenting the most important tourist and entertainment destinations in the country, its nature, culture, heritage, history, architecture and landmarks, and highlighting the distinctiveness of the tourism experience in each of the seven emirates. The campaign is also accompanied by the provision of many exclusive promotions for the campaign by tourist establishments, hotels, shops and restaurants. UAE’s Tourism Sector in Numbers The UAE achieved tourist occupancy rates in hotel and tourism establishments of 64% between January and October of 2021. The UAE outperformed the top 10 tourist destinations in the world such as the United States, which achieved an average of 58%, China (54%), Britain (50%), Turkey (49%), France (44%), Mexico (43%), Spain (40%), Italy (37%), Germany (33%), and Thailand (21%). In the first half of 2021, hotel and tourist establishments attracted about 8.3 million guests, a growth of 15% compared to the first half of last year. During the same comparison period, the number of hotel nights spent by guests amounted to around 35 million nights, a growth of 30%, and the average guest stay increased to 4.1 nights, with a growth of 12.5%. This was accompanied by a 31% growth in hotel establishment revenues, to reach AED11.3 billion. The share of domestic tourism reached more than 30% of the total guests of hotel establishments. The global data website Statista expects the UAE to attract more than 31 million tourists annually by 2025, and the travel and tourism sector to contribute AED280.6 billion to the UAE's GDP by 2028. |
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