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Yes. Families travelling to the UAE between July 15 and September 15 can benefit from an annual tourist visa fee waiver for children under 18 years old travelling with one or both parents. The exemption applies to both 30-day and 60-day tourist visas, provided the child's visa application is submitted together with the accompanying parent's application. However, the waiver covers only the visa application fee—parents may still need to pay travel insurance and travel agency service charges, which typically total around Dh120 per child, depending on the agency. If a child is travelling with only one parent, an undertaking letter may also be required. Do you think the UAE should make children's tourist visas completely free, including insurance and processing charges, to encourage more family tourism? Why or why not?

The right visa depends on how often you plan to visit Saudi Arabia and whether your trip is only for Umrah or includes tourism. Travel experts say the new one-year multiple-entry Umrah visa is best for Muslims intending to perform Umrah several times a year, allowing multiple entries and up to 90 days' stay in total, but it is restricted to pilgrimage purposes. Meanwhile, the multiple-entry tourist visa offers greater flexibility for those who want to combine Umrah with sightseeing or visits to other cities, while single-entry tourist and Umrah visas are suitable for one-time visits. Regardless of the visa type, pilgrims must complete the required Nusuk registration before performing Umrah, and those wishing to visit Rawdah (Riyaz-ul-Jannah) in Madinah also need to book an appointment through the platform. If you were planning a trip to Saudi Arabia, which option would you choose—a dedicated Umrah visa or a tourist visa that also allows sightseeing? Why?

The stimulus, announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is designed as a proactive measure to support businesses by easing financial pressure rather than reacting to a crisis. By deferring government fees and reducing certain tourism-related charges, the package helps companies maintain cash flow during a period of rising costs and tighter liquidity. This support—backed by strong economic growth in Dubai—aims to sustain business operations, protect jobs, and boost investor confidence. Sectors like hospitality, retail, and tourism are expected to benefit the most, helping them continue hiring and avoid cutbacks. Overall, the move signals stability and reinforces Dubai’s position as a resilient business hub. Do you think such stimulus packages are enough to protect jobs, or should governments do more to support businesses during uncertain times?

The newly launched Arqoob destination in Umm Al Quwain provides dedicated camping zones, serviced facilities, safe off-road tracks for vehicles and bicycles, motorsport areas, cultural and family activity spaces, and eco-friendly amenities — all designed to promote outdoor recreation, responsible adventure, and tourism growth in the emirate under the directives of Sheikh Rashid bin Saud Al Mualla. Would you visit Arqoob for camping or off-roading, and what activities would you like to see added in future phases?

The journey began when Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum witnessed elite horse racing in the UK in 1967, sparking a lifelong passion that evolved into a bold vision — to create a world-class racing event in Dubai. After early success as a racehorse owner, he founded Godolphin in 1992, establishing a “home team” that would represent Dubai on the global stage. This vision culminated in the launch of the Dubai World Cup in 1996, held at Meydan Racecourse, designed to rival iconic races like the Epsom Derby and Kentucky Derby. Over the years, the event has grown into one of the world’s richest and most prestigious horse races, blending sport, fashion, and international prestige, while cementing Dubai’s position as a global sporting hub. Do you think events like the Dubai World Cup play a major role in shaping a city’s global image, or is it more about tourism and entertainment?

Dubai has always moved quickly when technology becomes part of economic growth. From smart government services to advanced logistics, fintech, tourism, real estate, retail, and digital media, the city has built a reputation for turning innovation into practical infrastructure. Today, artificial intelligence is entering a new phase. It is no longer only about chatbots, automation, or data analysis. A growing part of AI adoption now involves multimodal systems that can understand and create across text, images, audio, and video. For Dubai’s business community, this shift could become especially important because the city’s economy depends heavily on speed, communication, global branding, and customer experience. As companies compete for attention in a fast-moving digital market, multimodal AI is becoming a practical tool for creating better content, improving workflows, and presenting ideas more clearly. Why Multimodal AI Matters for Dubai Businesses Traditional business communication often separates different types of content. A marketing team writes copy in one tool, creates visuals in another, edits video elsewhere, and then adapts everything for websites, social media, presentations, and advertising platforms. This process can be expensive and time-consuming, especially for startups and small businesses. Multimodal AI changes this workflow. Instead of treating text, images, video, and audio as separate tasks, it allows teams to work with them together. A company can begin with a written idea, add product photos, include brand references, describe a scene, and generate visual content that reflects the intended message. This is valuable in Dubai because businesses often operate across multilingual and multicultural audiences. A campaign may need to speak to residents, tourists, investors, partners, and international customers at the same time. Visual storytelling helps bridge that gap. From Smart City Vision to Smarter Content Dubai’s digital development has always been linked to practical outcomes. The goal is not technology for its own sake, but technology that improves services, strengthens competitiveness, and supports future industries. Multimodal AI fits naturally into this environment. It can support government communication, business marketing, tourism promotion, education, healthcare awareness, real estate presentations, retail campaigns, and events. For example, a tourism company can turn a simple itinerary into a short promotional video. A real estate agency can transform property images into lifestyle-focused visual stories. A restaurant can create seasonal campaign assets without organising a full video shoot. A training company can convert written material into visual learning content. A startup can explain a complex product through short, clear videos for investors and customers. These are not futuristic use cases. They are practical examples of how AI can reduce friction in everyday business communication. Helping SMEs Compete with Larger Brands Small and medium-sized enterprises are a major part of the UAE’s business environment. However, SMEs often face a common challenge: they need high-quality content but do not always have large creative teams or agency budgets. This is where AI-assisted content creation can make a real difference. A small company can test multiple campaign ideas before spending heavily on production. A founder can create a visual pitch for a new product. A local service provider can build professional-looking educational content. A retailer can generate product-focused visuals for different customer segments. Tools such as Gemini Omni represent this wider movement toward multimodal creation, where businesses can work with text, image, video, and creative direction in a more unified way. Instead of only generating isolated assets, these tools point toward a future where teams can move from idea to visual draft faster and then refine the result through natural language instructions. For Dubai’s SMEs, that speed can be a competitive advantage. The ability to create, test, and improve content quickly allows smaller companies to respond to market trends with more confidence. Real Estate, Tourism, and Retail: Three Key Sectors Some sectors in Dubai may benefit from multimodal AI faster than others. Real Estate Dubai’s real estate market is highly visual. Buyers and investors want to understand not only the property itself but also the lifestyle around it. AI video tools can help agencies turn images, floor plans, and written descriptions into engaging previews, neighbourhood guides, and project explainers. This does not replace professional photography or trusted property information. Instead, it adds another layer of presentation that can help clients imagine space, movement, atmosphere, and potential use. Tourism and Hospitality Dubai’s tourism sector depends on experience. Hotels, tour operators, entertainment venues, restaurants, and travel agencies need content that captures attention quickly. Multimodal AI can help create short-form videos, campaign variations, event previews, and social media assets for different audiences. A hotel could create different versions of a promotional clip for families, business travellers, and luxury tourists. A tour company could adapt one concept into multiple languages and formats. This kind of flexibility is useful in a global tourism hub. Retail and E-commerce Retailers need constant content for product launches, seasonal offers, influencer campaigns, and online stores. AI can help generate product videos, lifestyle visuals, ad concepts, and platform-specific variations. For e-commerce brands in Dubai, this can reduce the gap between product availability and campaign execution. The Human Role Remains Essential While AI can accelerate production, human judgment remains essential. Businesses still need to understand their audience, define their message, protect their brand identity, and review content for accuracy. This is especially important in sectors such as finance, healthcare, education, law, and government services, where misleading content can create serious problems. AI should assist communication, not replace responsibility. Good results depend on clear creative direction. A vague prompt will usually produce a vague output. A strong brand brief, clear audience profile, and specific business goal will produce better content. In this sense, AI rewards strategic thinking. Responsible AI Adoption As Dubai and the wider UAE continue to strengthen their AI ecosystem, responsible use will become increasingly important. Businesses should consider how generated content is labelled, how customer data is handled, and how brand assets are used. Companies should also create internal guidelines. These may include rules for reviewing AI-generated visuals, checking factual claims, protecting customer privacy, and ensuring that content reflects the company’s values. Responsible AI adoption is not a barrier to innovation. It is what allows innovation to scale with trust. A Practical Step Toward Future-Ready Business Multimodal AI is not just another content trend. It represents a broader shift in how companies communicate, train, sell, and explain ideas. For Dubai, a city built on ambition, global connectivity, and rapid execution, this technology aligns closely with the next stage of digital business growth. The companies that benefit most will not simply generate more content. They will use AI to communicate better. They will test ideas faster, personalise messages more effectively, and turn complex concepts into clear visual stories. Dubai’s business environment has always rewarded those who can move early, adapt quickly, and think globally. Multimodal AI gives companies another way to do exactly that.

According to Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai’s events calendar remains “vibrant and executable,” with numerous successful events taking place in recent weeks, including the landmark Dubai World Cup. While some organisers are choosing to reschedule programmes to maximise attendance and overall impact, this is seen as a strategic and supported decision rather than a disruption. Backed by strong infrastructure, advanced transport systems, and close coordination between public and private sectors, Dubai continues to position itself as a leading global destination for major events, exhibitions, and conferences. The city’s flexible and pragmatic approach ensures that events can adapt while maintaining high standards of safety and experience. Do you think rescheduling events helps improve turnout and experience, or does it risk losing momentum in a fast-paced events market?

The UAE has expanded its visa-on-arrival eligibility to nationals of seven countries — India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya, and South Africa — provided they hold a valid residence permit from an approved country such as the US, UK, EU member states, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada. Eligible travellers can choose between a 14-day visa (Dh100, extendable once) or a 60-day single-entry visa (Dh250, non-extendable), with an overstay fine of Dh50 per day applicable after the permitted stay period expires. The move aims to facilitate travel, strengthen international ties, and support tourism, business, and cultural exchanges between the UAE and partner countries.

The ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict has temporarily disrupted Gulf tourism by grounding thousands of flights and halting operations at major hubs like Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport, and Hamad International Airport, but analysts believe the GCC’s travel sector—led by Dubai—could rebound swiftly once stability returns. According to Tourism Economics, a short conflict may cut arrivals by 11%, while a prolonged one could see a 27% drop; yet, the region’s world-class infrastructure, aviation connectivity, and diversified attractions are expected to drive a rapid recovery. UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council highlight the Middle East’s proven resilience post-pandemic, with Julia Simpson noting that strong aviation hubs recover fastest, and airline leaders like Michael O’Leary predicting demand will rebound quickly through promotional fares once airspace reopens—positioning Dubai to again lead the region’s tourism revival.