Dubai seeking Chinese travelers to celebrate New Year
Spectacular fireworks displays are planned for Dubai.
Dubai has been stepping up its tourism campaign in the Yangtze River Delta region as it hopes for a tourism boom during the upcoming New Year with celebrations, resumed flights and preferential policies targeting Chinese travelers.
Spectacular fireworks shows will light up the Dubai sky through January 4 at Al Seed, and dazzling shows are on at 9pm every night.
On New Year's Eve, DSF (Dubai Shopping Festival) Fireworks Nights will usher in the New Year at a number of places, including Bluewaters and The Beach, with a special display on the stroke of midnight.
Dubai Tourism recently hosted a three-day tourism carnival in Nanjing, capital city of neighboring Jiangsu Province, joining with domestic online travel operator Tuniu.com.
Children try DIY at a Dubai Tourism carnival in Nanjing.
Featuring DIY, a VR sand slide and food tasting experiences, Dubai showcased its unique cultural charm and diversified tourism options to travelers to stir their interest.
As of December, there are 46 flights operated on 14 lines between China and Dubai with 127 trips scheduled weekly.
There are direct flights between Shanghai and Dubai daily and direct flights between Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Dubai will resume operation in March.
According to Dubai Tourism, China is one of the fastest-growing sources of visitors in the world.
Dubai is implementing a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens for 30 days and its retail stores and taxis now widely accept Alipay and WeChat payments.
Dubai had received 520,000 Chinese travelers as of October this year, about 65 percent of pre-pandemic levels, with the flight capacity resuming to 90 percent, according to Dubai Tourism.
