Dubai Wants You to Invite Your Family and Friends — And It Will Reward You for Doing It

The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism has launched “A Dubai Invite”, an initiative encouraging Dubai residents to invite family and friends from abroad to visit the Emirate — while rewarding residents for doing so.

Regional uncertainty inevitably affects travel. Dubai’s response is characteristically pragmatic: give people another reason to come.

This may indeed be the opportunity to those family and friends that keep saying ‘maybe later’, ‘in the future’, ‘christmas’, ‘no, better summer as airfares drop and less people, etc.

The concept is remarkably simple.

If you are a Dubai resident and have family or friends visiting Dubai between 20 July and 31 October 2026, you can nominate them through the official programme.

Once their arrival is verified, you can unlock benefits across participating hotels, restaurants, attractions and transport providers.

What can residents receive?

Depending on the participating partner, benefits include:

1.  hotel discounts of up to 45%;
2. resort credits equivalent to as much as **100% of the room rate** at certain participating hotels;
3. preferential offers at attractions including Aquaventure and IMG Worlds of Adventure;
4. restaurant and leisure benefits; and
5. Careem Plus membership and transport rebates.

Residents can unlock up to three verified benefits, with one benefit available per visiting guest party.

And the initiative has moved quickly.

By mid-August, approximately 20,000 successful applicants had already benefited. Demand was sufficiently strong for the Department of Economy and Tourism to triple the programme’s capacity.

Why is Dubai doing ‘A Dubai Invite’?

The initiative is interesting beyond the discounts themselves.

Dubai has responded to a period of regional economic and travel uncertainty with a series of measures designed to support economic activity, tourism and consumer confidence.

Earlier this year, the Government announced economic incentive packages totalling AED 2.5 billion, covering sectors including tourism, trade, logistics, real estate and government services.

“A Dubai Invite” fits within that broader philosophy.

Rather than relying exclusively on conventional tourism advertising, Dubai is effectively turning its own residents — a community representing close to 200 nationalities — into ambassadors for the city.

And it makes considerable sense.

Who is more likely to convince someone to visit Dubai than the family member or friend already living here?

A Dubai Invite. How does it work?

Residents nominate their visiting family members or friends through the official  A Dubai Invite  platform.

Their arrival in Dubai is subsequently confirmed through a verification process supported by Dubai’s General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs.

Once verified, the resident gains access to the applicable benefits.

The programme covers visitors arriving until 31 October 2026, while the promotional benefits can be redeemed until 31 December 2026, subject to the programme terms and remaining availability.

A very Dubai response

What I find particularly interesting about this initiative is the underlying message.

When external circumstances create uncertainty, Dubai does not simply wait for conditions to improve. It looks for ways to stimulate activity, mobilise its extraordinarily international resident population and create an incentive for people to keep coming.

So, if you live in Dubai and have been telling your parents, siblings or friends for years that they should finally come and visit you, this may be the moment to make the invitation.

And this time, Dubai may reward you for showing them around.

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