Dubai has unveiled a new membership programme, the Dubai Access Club, aimed at rewarding tourists who choose to return to the city again and again. The initiative was announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, as part of a wider push to deepen the emirate's relationship with its most loyal visitors.

Membership in the club is by invitation only, and those accepted will gain access to a curated set of exclusive services and experiences intended to make every subsequent trip to Dubai feel more rewarding and more personal. Officials describe the programme as the latest step in Dubai's ambition to rank among the world's top three destinations for both business and leisure travel.

The announcement echoes the earlier success of "A Dubai Invite", a similar outreach effort that drew more than 90,000 applications from travellers keen to build a closer relationship with the city, a figure officials point to as evidence of strong demand for repeat-visitor recognition.

Alongside the loyalty club, Dubai's tourism authority, Visit Dubai, confirmed that tourist visa applications, both single-entry and multiple-entry, can now be submitted directly through its official website. Authorities say additional visa categories will be added to the platform over time, as part of a broader effort to simplify the entry process for visitors.

Taken together, the two moves signal a shift in emphasis for Dubai's tourism strategy: alongside efforts to attract first-time visitors, the emirate is investing specifically in retaining and re-engaging those who have already been. Globally, tourism boards have increasingly turned to loyalty-style programmes in recent years, since retaining past visitors is typically far less costly than acquiring new ones.

Further details on the exact membership criteria and the club's official launch date have not yet been released, with Dubai's tourism authorities expected to provide more information in the coming days.