Dubai Tourism looks to develop live entertainment industry

Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has launched a sponsorship scheme aimed at ticketed events to help drive the live entertainment industry in the city.

The move is designed to provide incentives for organisers considering holding events in Dubai, which has seen an increase of over 100,000 ticket sales from last year and 25 additional events in the first quarter of 2019.

The initiative will work in conjunction with Dubai Tourism’s ticketing and permits services to streamline management and coordination of event licensing activities and provide greater operational efficiency.

Dubai Tourism Director General, Helal Saeed Almarri told Arabian Business “the sponsorship scheme forms part of our commitment to retain the city’s status as a leading global event destination and has been designed to build on this momentum and act as a catalyst for the local events industry.

“This has been further fuelled by our cross-industry public and private sector partnerships, which serve as a crucial component in helping us identify and pursue opportunities to further empower local event organisers as we set the stage to welcome audiences from around the world.”

The sponsorship scheme, which will directly support leisure event organisers, will take effect for events being held from 1st May through an online application process.

The announcement follows Dubai Tourism’s launch of its B2B Attractions Marketplace for improved ticketing and CRM capabilities last month.

Ahmed Al Khaja, Chief Executive of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, added “Dubai’s events sector is continuing to grow at an impressive rate, with its sustainable and engaging offerings playing a vital role in growing our tourism numbers and driving the city’s competitiveness for global audiences.

“The dedicated incentivisation scheme will aim to further position Dubai as a major player in the sector by providing additional support for event organisers across the city, and attracting prominent event organisers and international initiatives.”

Dubai’s new Coca-Cola Arena is set to open in June.

Image: Events planned for Dubai’s new Coca-Cola Arena.