Dubai Accelerates Positioning as Remote Working Hub
Skift Take
The emirate’s digital nomad-friendly tourism blueprint, now endorsed by Airbnb, has a lot going for it. But rising accommodation costs could deter the more price-conscious traveler.
Shayan Zaeem, co-founder and president of Revolving Games, is just one of thousands of remote workers around the globe. He has landed up in Dubai, which is ramping up efforts to pitch itself as a destination for more people like him.
His company, which is currently working on a new BattleStar Galactica game with Universal Studios, is headquartered in San Francisco but due to the pandemic scaled its operations globally.
“Most people prefer working from home in the tech industry, and Dubai was a no brainer for me,” he said, tempted by the infrastructure and facilities of the "vibrant, multifaceted city."
Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, launched a one-year virtual working program in 2020 that Zaeem took advantage of. It has so far received 30,000 enquiries (a spokesperson didn’t confirm the number of visas approved).
The United Arab Emirates has also introduced a raft of new longer term 5 and 10-year residency Golden Visas, 80,000 of which were issued last year.
Now Dubai's looking to appeal to a wider demographic following a new partnership with Airbnb, among other initiatives.
Airbnb Backing
Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism set up an online remote working hub with Airbnb in December last year. The Middle East
