DUBAI: Dubai issued over 12 million visas in 2014, out of which 5.14 million were tourist visas. “Statistics show there has been a 10 per cent increase in the number of visas issued,” Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director-General of GDRFA-Dubai, said.
Al Merri said the GDRFA dealt with a total of 61.40 million transactions in 2014, and further that the numbers are expected to further increase next year.
There has been a 7 per cent rise in the number of people travelling through all Dubai ports. “A total of 43.48 million passengers travelled through the entry and exit points in Dubai. The numbers show a seven per cent increase when compared to the 40.53 million passengers that travelled to and from Dubai in 2013.”
“We are predicting the numbers to increase over the next few years,” he said. “We are taking all the necessary measures to deal with the influx. Our staff members are undergoing special training and our facilities are being kept up-to-date with the latest technology. We are exercising all efforts to ensure we offer the best of services to the public.”
Smart Gates at Dubai Airports are easing the travel process, Maj Gen Al Merri said. Nearly 7 million passengers have already registered for the service.
“The Smart Gate services help speed up travellers’ movements through passport control,” Maj Gen Al Merri said, “It now takes an average of 15 seconds to finalise all the procedures related to passport control. The Smart Gate service was specifically designed to avoid wasting time while entering or exiting the airport.”
Ship arrivals and departures at Dubai sea ports increased by 14 per cent, the GDRFA revealed. Nearly 60,000 ships used Dubai’s sea ports.
“Over 85,000 tourists arrived to Dubai via its sea ports in 2014,” Maj Gen Al Merri said.
Over 7,000 Illegals were arrested during 326 inspection campaigns in Dubai last year. “The Foreigners and Illegals Sector of the GDRFA-Dubai conducted a total number of 224,548 transactions. The number of sponsor complaints the GDRFA received in 2014, about matters such as employees leaving work, decreased by six per cent when compared with 2013.”
Maj Gen Al Merri said the decrease in sponsor complaints was attributed to the awareness messages the GDRFA spread via social media.
