new ruling by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs exempting citizens of 13 European member states from requiring a pre-entry visa to the UAE, will further enhance Dubais popularity with European tourists. With citizens of the other 15 European member states already being exempt, the announcement means that all citizens of the European Union holding an ordinary passport will be allowed to enter the UAE without having to previously apply for a visa. The ruling comes into effect from 22nd March 2014.

Speaking in Berlin on the sidelines of ITB 2014, the world's largest tourism trade fair, His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said: This is a very positive announcement from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and one which will have a significant impact on the attractiveness of Dubai as a destination for tourists from the 13 countries included today in the exemption. European countries have traditionally featured prominently in our top 20 source markets for visitors and the lifting of visa restrictions provides for easier travel arrangements from across the continent.

The news has been received extremely positively here at ITB, both by our partners from the Dubai tourism industry and from the European travel industry. Through our network of offices across Europe we will use ruling to further promote Dubais attractiveness as a destination for both leisure and business.

The 13 countries that come under the new exemption are: Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Malta, Cyprus, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria. Dubais top visitor source markets in 2013 included five European Union countries, each of which were already exempt from requiring pre-arrival visas: the UK (ranked 3rd), Germany (ranked 7th), France (ranked 14th), Italy (ranked 17th) and the Netherlands (ranked 20th).

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri continued: As we work towards our target of welcoming 20 million visitors per year by 2020, DTCM will continue to work with partners in the government and the private sector to ensure that Dubais destination offering is continually enhanced. This includes infrastructural developments and the provision of more hotels, attractions, events and experiences, but also includes leveraging our geographic location and the connectivity provided by our world leading aviation infrastructure by easing access to the Emirate.