DUBAI — Traveling to the UAE is now even more convenient when you fly Emirates to Dubai and utilize the visa services of the Dubai Visa Processing Centre (DVPC), according to a press statement issued on Tuesday. The new visa categories introduced are the short-term visit multiple entry tourist visa for 30 days and the long-term visit multiple entry tourist visa for 90 days. DVPC operates 33 Dubai visa application centers in 16 countries across the globe. The Dubai visa application service includes accepting documents, collecting the visa fee and issuing receipts to customers and then forwarding their application to relevant authorities in the UAE. DVPC also provides value added options like the door-to-door and express visa service in select markets. DVPC services are also available online to residents of over 180 countries globally via www.emirates.com. The short-term visit multiple entry tourist visa for 30 days and the long-term visit multiple entry tourist visa for 90 days will also shortly be available on www.emirates.com. Dubai's hotel establishments welcomed 11.63 million guests in 2014, registering a 5.6 per cent increase over guest arrivals in 2013, according to figures published today by Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). The Emirates continues to maintain growth at a sustainable level while also growing its portfolio of hotels and hotel apartment establishments, thus taking another step closer to achieving its Tourism Vision for 2020, which aims to welcome 20 million visitors a year by 2020. The data shows steady year-on-year growth and significant increases across key indicators including hotel establishment revenues and guest nights. Dubai's top 10 hotel guest source markets in 2014 remained almost entirely unchanged from 2013, with only slight shifts in positioning. For January to December 2014, Saudi Arabia was once again the top source market, followed by India, UK, USA, Iran, Oman, China, Kuwait, Russia and Germany. — SG
