UAE plans wider Jaywan card acceptance at hotels and tourist attractions

Council also discussed joint tourism offers with Esaad, Fazaa and Al Saada

Last updated: August 18, 2026 | 14:49

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

3 MIN READ

UAE plans wider Jaywan card acceptance at hotels and tourist attractions

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Dubai: The UAE Tourism Council has discussed expanding the acceptance and use of the Jaywan card across the tourism sector, alongside joint tourism offers targeting citizens and residents and greater cooperation with benefits programmes including Esaad, Fazaa and Al Saada.

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The proposals formed part of a wider discussion on stimulating domestic tourism and increasing tourism spending within the UAE, with the Council also examining partnerships between hotels, attractions, tourism establishments and national benefits programmes.

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The meeting, held in Al Zorah in Ajman, was chaired by Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, and attended by heads and directors-general of local tourism authorities.

Jaywan, Esaad, Fazaa and Al Saada in focus

The Council discussed expanding the network of tourism establishments that accept Jaywan, with the aim of increasing the benefits generated from tourism spending within the country and supporting tourism-related businesses and activities.

Discussions also covered stronger cooperation with benefits and privileges programmes aimed at residents, including Esaad, Fazaa and Al Saada.

The Council considered working with hotels, tourism attractions and service providers to develop competitive tourism offers and experiences for different segments of society, with the stated aim of stimulating domestic tourism and allowing destinations and tourism establishments across the UAE to benefit from local spending.

This also includes expanding the network of tourism establishments that accept the ‘Jaywan’ card and developing joint tourism offers in cooperation with the ‘Esaad’, ‘Fazaa’ and ‘Al Saada’ programmes, providing more diverse and attractive tourism options and experiences for citizens and residents and supporting increased tourism spending within the country

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism

Focus on residents and domestic tourism

The Council examined ways to develop domestic tourism demand and make tourism within the UAE more attractive to citizens and residents.

The discussions included joint offers targeting both groups and partnerships between hotels, attractions, tourism establishments and national benefits programmes, aimed at providing tourism options and experiences suited to different sections of society.

The Council also highlighted opportunities to make greater use of residents’ purchasing power through integrated tourism products, offers and experiences that could encourage higher tourism spending within the UAE, longer stays and greater use of destinations and experiences across the different emirates.

The meeting formed part of efforts to reach new segments and markets, attract more visitors and diversify the tourism experiences available within the country.

Tourism strategy targets Dh450 billion contribution

The Council discussed broader national efforts to encourage visitors to explore more than one destination within the UAE, extend the duration of their stays and increase tourism spending so that different destinations benefit from the sector’s growth.

These efforts are aligned with the National Tourism Strategy 2031, which aims to raise the tourism sector’s contribution to the UAE’s gross domestic product to Dh450 billion by 2031.

The Council also reviewed the latest performance developments in UAE tourism, the outcomes of its previous meeting and progress in implementing previously agreed measures. The review covered completed and outstanding actions and the steps required to complete them and accelerate implementation.

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Visit UAE platform development reviewed

The Council reviewed the latest development of the Visit UAE digital platform and its role in promoting the country as a tourism destination under a unified national umbrella.

The platform is intended to reflect the diversity of tourism experiences across the UAE and strengthen the country’s presence in international markets.

Discussions also covered the development of national tourism messaging and content, stronger partnerships between government entities and the private sector, and greater coordination among tourism authorities on overseas participation and the targeting of priority markets.

International tourism programme runs through March 2027

The Council also reviewed the UAE’s international tourism participation programme through March 2027.

The programme includes participation in leading tourism exhibitions and platforms across Europe, Asia, the Americas and GCC countries, with the aim of strengthening the UAE’s presence in priority tourism markets and supporting efforts to attract more visitors.

It also seeks to expand partnerships with tour operators and international tourism and travel companies while promoting the range of tourism products and experiences available across the UAE.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.

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