Dubai Picks Ambassadors in Africa to Attract More Tourists

Dubai is positioning itself to attract more tourists from the East African nations of Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, having banned Nigerian tourists from acquiring its visas.

In October 2022, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it had slapped a visa ban on some 20 African nations, including Nigeria.

"This is to inform you that we will not be posting 30 days visa applications for these nationalities effective today October 18, 2022," the notice read in part.

Dubai's tourism ministry and the UAE are now ramping up efforts to bring in tourists from other African countries like Angola, Kenya and South Africa in order to keep the numbers up. The Arab nation, this website understands, has hired South African singer Thabsie as well as Kenyan celebrity Bahati as their new tourism ambassadors.

Ambassadors from Francophone countries are also being sourced. Bahati and Thabsie have been tasked to use their popularity to show Africans what Dubai has to offer through their own eyes and individual experiences.

Thabsie and Bahati, who are currently in Dubai with their spouses, will engage in a friendly campaign called the “A to Z of Dubai” where they will, letter by letter, convince their followers to visit Dubai.