Dubai and Qatar are continuing to invest in technology to further develop themselves as leading tourism destinations in the Middle East.

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has entered a new collaboration with Amadeus, in the same week that Visit Qatar announced a partnership with Microsoft. 

While the two destinations are working with two different companies, the overall goals are similar – to explore and introduce new technologies that will enhance the visitor experience.

Qatar and Dubai’s new technological partnerships come at a time when the tourism industry is becoming ever dependent on technology from destination marketing to improving airport movement. 

Late last year, technology was identified by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a key driver of democratization of global travel, inspiring people to visit lesser-known regions such as the Middle East. Millennials and Gen Z were acknowledged as being technology’s biggest consumers and were praised as being the force behind the shift in the industry. 

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that both Dubai and Qatar want to do everything they can to stay ahead of technology, particularly in the tourism industry.  

Let’s do a deep dive into what city can expect as part of their new arrangements: 

Dubai x Amadeus 

Dubai wants to further its capabilities as a leading hub for travel innovation. In order to do so, Amadeus will enhance the traveller journey experience through advancements on biometrics, airport experience optimisation, access management, touchless payments, and air capacity development.

Amadeus will also set up a Centre of Excellence in Dubai, and aid DET in supporting local and global start-ups and enhance travel intelligence reporting for hospitality and destinations.

According to His Excellency Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), the arrangement will strengthen the UAE city’s position as a multifaceted innovation hub. 

“Dubai’s business-friendly environment, world-class infrastructure, and strategic location make it the ideal destination for the development of cutting-edge travel solutions, further increasing its attractiveness as a business and tourism hub among multinational corporations and investors,” he said.  

The partnership is also expected to create a platform that will build on Dubai’s record-breaking 18.82 million overnight visitors in 2024. 

“Amadeus’ cutting-edge technology will enable the city to offer more personalised experiences, integrating innovative solutions that contribute to its growth and set new benchmarks for excellence,” added Maher Koubaa, Amadeus’ Executive Vice President Travel Unit and Managing Director EMEA, Amadeus.

Dubai has been one of the fastest destinations in the Middle East to tap into the power of technology, including the utilisation of social media to drive visitation. The hashtag ‘Dubai’ has over 130 million posts on Instagram alone and is one of the most popular destinations on TikTok. The city has also recently begun tapping into the power of streaming with shows like Love is Blind and Dubai Bling, showcasing the destination to millions of Netflix viewers.

Qatar x Microsoft 

Qatar similarly wants to explore the next generation of technologies to elevate the visitor experience. In order to do this, Microsoft will aid the country in creating a comprehensive technology roadmap that will integrate smart and digital solutions. 

What does this mean exactly? Great question. While details of the arranagement haven’t yet been revealed, we expect the pair will work together to further enhance some of Qatar’s existing technologies. 

This could include improvements to Qatar’s Smart Travel Assistant which combines text, voice, content, mapping, interactive planning, and conversational AI to provide a user-friendly experience. It could also mean advancement of Qatar’s GenAI Chatbot Trip Concierge which revolutionised travel planning with its AI capabilities. 

We’ll just have to wait and see for more, but one’s thing’s for sure, this partnership complements Qatar Airways‘ recently launched innovations including Sama’s AI Booking, Dream Destination – The Pulse, QVerse Multi-Sensory Experience, AI Menu, Privilege Club Collection, and Reward Seat Finder. Read all about, here.