Accessible Tourism In United Arab Emirates*- Part of a master's thesis*

-*Accessible Tourism in United Arab Emirates*

- Tourism in The United Arab Emirates :-

Tourism in the United Arab Emirates is an important component of the UAE economy, and it consists of both domestic and international components. In 2018, the tourism industry accounted for more than 164.7 billion dirhams of the country's GDP. ("UAE tourism contributed , 2018)

The tourism industry in the United Arab Emirates is the most successful among the Gulf countries, and has long enjoyed the status of the leading tourism country in the GCC. The country is also the main tourism power in the Arab world. [4] Tourism employed more than 604,300 people for the UAE as of 2018. It is expected to continue expanding, with revenue increasing by 12.4% of the country's GDP in 2027, and will employ more than 410,000 people in this industry. Efforts to localize the industry are still ongoing, which is necessary for the development of tourism in the country.( "United Arab Emirates Tourism" ,1995-2020).

Although the Middle East has been identified as one of the least developed countries Tourism areas of the world, urbanization and rapid modernization in some the wealthier Arab countries have been accompanied by remarkably rapid tourism growth industries. This is certainly the case in the United Arab Emirates where tourism It has been given a central role in recent economic and strategic development plans with help diversify the economy and reduce the country's dependence on Oil price volatility ("Why the UAE is a leading tourism destination in the region",2020) . The United Arab Emirates is the most region in the Middle East that is always striving for development especially in the tourism sector (Sharpley, 2008; Zaidan, 2015). So its Features a landscape of luxury residences, the largest shopping complexes, the tallest towers, more luxurious hotels such as the 7-star Burj Al Arab hotel, innovative man-made islands, and creative theme parks (Smith, 2010). It is not surprising that Dubai is modern Already well positioned on the international tourism map as a top global destination (Bajain, 2007; Sharbley, 2008; Zidan, 2015).

However, the Dubai government It seeks to expand the city's tourism sector even further as shown recently approval of the strategic vision for tourism (Dubai Vision 2020). The vision set sees Dubai welcoming 20 million tourists annually by 2020, which is three times as much the economic contribution that tourism currently adds to the emirate’s economy (DTCM, 2013) . A positive upward trend has already been observed in tourist visits and hotel occupancy before the vision was granted official approval in early 2013. For example, Dubai It received more than 7.9 million visitors during the first nine months of 2013, which Already represented a growth rate of 9.8% compared to the previous year (Government Dubai, 2013). A realistic review of tourism development in Dubai .Major tourist attractions in the country include Dubai's famous Burj Khalifa,( "Burj Khalifa is Dubai's most visited tourist attraction | Arabian Post", 2014) the tallest tower in the world The Global Archipelago and Palm Jumeirah also in Dubai Sheikh Zayed Mosque and Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi; (Atlas Obscura, "The World Islands") .