Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, unveiled a new programme called Dubai Access Club on Wednesday. The scheme was jointly developed by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) to encourage loyal, repeat visitors to keep coming back to the city.

The programme is invitation-only: invitations are extended to eligible travellers through select partner loyalty programmes and multinational companies. The launch partners announced so far are Emirates, through its Skywards loyalty programme, Accor hotels, and Visa, for Infinite cardholders, with more partners expected to join later.

Travellers who receive an invitation and meet the eligibility criteria are granted a five-year membership once their visa application is approved, alongside a five-year multiple-entry tourist visa that allows stays of up to 90 days at a time within a one-year period. Other benefits include GDRFA Dubai's ALSAADA Tourist Card with city privileges, a Majid Al Futtaim gift card loaded with retail credit, hotel room upgrades, airport lounge access and advance booking windows for events. Dubai officials said further benefits would be announced soon.

The initiative is part of Dubai's broader push to rank among the world's top three tourism destinations, and unlike standard tourist visas, it is reserved for recognised, eligible visitors who already have a history of travel to Dubai or membership in one of the scheme's partner programmes.