His Highness Sheikh Mana bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mana Al Maktoum signed an exclusive local partnership agreement with Dubai based global travel platform Welcome to the UAE. The ceremony Monday coincided with World Tourism Day.

Welcome to the World, is a new global travel and tourism initiative which promotes direct bookings by bypassing commission-driven aggregators. The Dubai created video inspired platform was launched late 2020 and has seen an exponential growth ever since. 

His Highness Sheikh Mana bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mana Al Maktoum, known for His investments in emerging technology and sustainable start-ups all over the globe, strongly believes in the power of Welcome to the World.

“Being part of this global tech platform that uses destination marketing to drive direct bookings to and in support of businesses locally is an exciting journey,” His Highness said. 

“Our time is now, I look forward to showing the world all the beautiful aspects of the UAE and the wealth of experiences that are to be had,” His Highness added. 

The platform, launched in December 2020, showcases the most popular hotels, restaurants, attractions and experiences of 175 global tourism hotspots. Soon after the launch in Dubai a franchise agreement with an inspirational partner in the Netherlands was signed. 

“We are truly honoured and excited with the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mana bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mana Al Maktoum,” said Martie Daems Managing Director of Welcome to the UAE.

The ceremony highlighted the start of an official local partnership named Welcome to the UAE part of the rapidly growing global initiative Welcome to the World. Preparations are currently well underway for similar agreements with partners in France, Greece, Italy, Qatar and Mexico. 

“With the support and vision of His Highness we anticipate to make our new initiative a great success for Dubai and the other Emirates. He is such an enthusiastic young professional interested in innovative and technology driven companies. It is great to have Him in as Honorary Chairman for the board of directors,” added Managing Director Daems. 

Naim Maadad, Founder of Gates Hospitality, and Board Member of Welcome to the UAE emphasized the new initiative would go a long way in connecting the world in times to come. “I am absolutely delighted and extremely excited to be part of the launch of Welcome to the World as a global collection and trendsetting collaboration of Tourism & Hospitality experiences.” 

Welcome to the World offers travel and tourism operators the opportunity to create their own online merchant profiles via a free-of-charge option or with a fixed yearly fee which leverages the content revitalization features. At the same time individual users can create complimentary personal accounts to unlock a world of welcoming benefits.