Sheikh Mohammed merges Dubai’s economy and tourism departments

Sheikh Mohammed merges Dubai’s economy and tourism departments

Two key government departments, Dubai Economy and Dubai Tourism, will now be merged under a single entity called Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. A decision to this effect was issued on Saturday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai who is also the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE. Helal Al Marri, who was recently appointed as the head of the new board of directors of Dubai Financial Market, has now been named as director general of the newly formed department too. The Department of Economy and Tourism is tasked with meeting seven targets to strengthen the emirate’s position in tourism and economy. These include increasing the added value of the industrial sector by 150 per cent in the next five years, expanding export markets for local products by 50 per cent and increasing the number of tourists coming to Dubai by 40 per cent to 25 million visitors by 2025. The new entity is also tasked with making Dubai one of the top five global cities in the main economic indicators, attracting 100,000 companies in three years as well as 400 global economic events annually by 2025. Furthermore, it is also tasked