Dubai has always been relying heavily on its tourism industry. The industry not only makes a huge contribution to the GDP but also ranks high in terms of number of job and employment opportunities. The present global economic crisis has surely hurt many tourist based countries across the globe and UAE is no exception. However, the downturn observed is much less in comparison to places like London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and others. The number of visitors in 2008 were 7.5 million as compared to 6.9 million in 2007.
The tourism sector is taking aggressive promotional strategies and is also getting government support to keep the related businesses running and to prevent major job losses.
With political stability, security, modern infrastructure, tax-free shopping, endless entertainment opportunities, in 2009 Dubai continues to be the attraction for tourists across the globe.