The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Amadeus, a global leader in travel technology, to facilitate a city-wide ecosystem for the rapid prototyping of travel tech solutions and further enhance Dubai’s capabilities as a leading hub for travel innovation.
Building on their well-established collaborative relationship, the two entities will focus on advancing travel technology, enhancing visitor experiences and strengthening Dubai’s tourism ecosystem, creating a platform to build on the record 18.72 million international overnight visitors that came to the city in 2024. The MoU was signed by Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), part of DET, and Maher Koubaa, EVP Travel Unit and MD EMEA, Amadeus, and is poised to contribute to achieving the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, to further consolidate Dubai’s position as a leading global city for business and leisure. DET and Amadeus currently cooperate across multiple areas including Strategic Travel Data and Analytics, Programmatic Travel Advertising, and B2B Travel Marketing, and the MoU establishes a framework for expanding this collaboration. It also paves the way for Amadeus to set up a Centre of Excellence in Dubai to promote initiatives in key areas such as enhancement of the traveller journey experience, with a focus on leveraging biometrics, airport experience optimisation, access management, touchless payments, and air capacity development. Furthermore, it will support local and global start-ups and enhance travel intelligence reporting for hospitality and destinations.