Dubai: The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) said it has issued more than one million visas featuring the ‘Dubai, Capital of Arab Media 2020’ logo in the last four months.
The initiative seeks to highlight the UAE’s status as a regional and global media hub as well as Dubai’s leadership in driving media industry growth in the region in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai said, “These achievements encourage all government entities to strive harder to contribute to the UAE’s continued progress and achievements across all fields. The GDRFA-Dubai is keen to showcase both the UAE’s and Dubai’s key accomplishments and highlight the remarkable progress it has made over the last five decades.”
Mona Al Marri, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council and Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), said: “We appreciate the unique initiative taken by GDRFA-Dubai to feature the logo in visas issued out of Dubai. GDRFA-Dubai’s gesture reflects the vital role of the media sector in the larger economy and the emirate’s instrumental role in nurturing the growth of the region’s media industry. Over the last two decades, key Dubai initiatives such as the Arab Media Forum and the Arab Journalism Award have created a platform for the region’s media industry to engage in dialogue and knowledge-sharing.”
Dubai is a vibrant global media hub with more than 4,000 companies across media sectors. Showcasing the ‘Dubai, Capital of Arab Media 2020’ logo will contribute to reinforcing Dubai’s reputation as a media hub regionally and globally, added Mona Al Marri.
Dubai’s selection as the Capital of Arab Media for 2020 by the Council of Arab Information Ministers crowns two decades of Dubai’s leadership in driving regional media industry growth during which it emerged as one of the world’s leading media hubs. At the forefront of this growth is the TECOM Group’s media clusters, Dubai Media City (DMC), which is home to 2,000 media companies that together employ 33,000 people, Dubai Studio City (DSC) and Dubai Production City (DPC). Together, these zones represent the largest hub for media companies in the region.
Dubai Press Club, another major player in the growth of the region’s media industry, has launched several initiatives to foster industry excellence and dialogue. Its major initiatives include the Arab Media Forum (AMF), the region’s largest media gathering; the Arab Journalism Award (AJA); the Emirates Media Forum (EMF); the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit (ASMIS); and the Arab Media Outlook, an extensive reference on the region’s media.
