Dubai Tourism named ‘best service’ provider to travel agencies

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has been recognised for delivering the world’s best service to travel agencies in 2025, taking top spot in the ‘Best Service to Travel Agencies – Tourist Boards’ category at the 17th Globus Awards 2026 in Germany.

 

Held on 29 January in Frankfurt, the awards ceremony brought together 250 tourism professionals, with 2,800 travel agencies and a panel of industry experts taking part in the vote. Malta retained its second-place finish from the previous year, while Turkey climbed from seventh in 2024 to third place, reflecting its growing strength as a partner destination.

 

This latest accolade marks the fifth time since 2018 that Dubai Tourism has secured first place in the category, reinforcing the emirate’s position as a leading partner to the German and global travel trade. Managed from Dubai through 36 brand offices, including one in Frankfurt, DET’s international operations span more than 60 countries and encompass relationships with over 3,000 travel trade stakeholders.

 

Commenting on the award, DET said in a LinkedIn post: “The award reflects our continued commitment to strengthening partnerships with the travel trade and delivering consistent support to travel agencies across key international markets.”

 

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In 2025, DET launched a new wave of high-impact brand campaigns to further enhance Dubai’s appeal in key source markets. These included ‘Dubai, Ready for a Surprise?’ featuring cricket star Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma, and the ‘Find Your Story’ campaign fronted by Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi, showcasing how even a short stopover can be transformed into an itinerary of memorable experiences.

 

On-the-ground trade engagement was strengthened through multi-city roadshows and workshops across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. More than 920 travel agents attended four Visit Dubai roadshows in October 2025 alone, staged in South Africa, Italy, Jordan and Egypt, while dedicated roadshows took place in Taiwan and mainland China throughout the year.

 

The programme combined destination briefings, multi-city networking and immersive experiences designed to highlight Dubai’s evolving visitor proposition.

 

Other 2025 milestones celebrated included Dubai being recognised as the first Certified Autism Destination in the Eastern Hemisphere.

 

Dubai welcomed 17.55 million international overnight visitors between January and November 2025, a 5% year-on-year increase, according to DET. Over the same period, UAE hotel occupancy averaged 79.3%, placing it among the highest in the world, according to Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri.

 

Dubai’s hotel sector went on to record its strongest December performance in nearly two decades, with citywide occupancy reaching 84.3% for the month, up 3.4% year on year and the highest December level since 2006, according to data from CoStar.

 

For more information, visit www.dubaidet.gov.ae/en