Following on from the resumption of international tourism in July 2020, Dubai welcomed international business events from October 2020. Since then, Dubai saw a healthy pipeline of conferences and exhibitions taking place across the city, according to Dubai Business Events. That is now poised to continue in the second half of 2021, through the hosting of Expo 2020 Dubai and into the rest of 2022.

Among the major congresses and conferences coming to Dubai in the coming months are the Congress of the Société Internationale d’Urologie, Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, International Astronautical Congress, World Chambers Congress, LPG Week, Gastech and Africa Oil Week. Meanwhile, major incentive groups visiting the city will include AFC Life Science, Amway, Sunhope, Jeunesse and Omnilife.

Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “We understand the importance for the meetings industry globally to restart physical events, and thanks to the efforts of stakeholders across the city, this all continues to be done in environments that prioritise the safety of all delegates, participants and organisers.”

One of the first global mega-events to take place since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Expo 2020 runs from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, inviting visitors from around the world to join the making of a new world, experiencing a six-month celebration of human creativity, innovation, progress and culture.

Since 22 July Emirates connects Dubai and Miami with a first-ever passenger service. The flight runs four times a week.

In Dubai’s Nad Al Sheba neighbourhood Deep Dive Dubai has opened, the deepest swimming pool for diving in the world. Deep Dive Dubai’s pool has been verified by Guinness World Records as the world’s deepest swimming pool for diving at a depth of 60.02 metres and holding 14 million litres of water, the equivalent of six Olympic-sized swimming pools.