Gitex Global: Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism builds AI engagement platform

As part of its ultimate aim of making the UAE’s leading city the world’s leading commercial centre, investment hub and tourism destination, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has partnered with customer experience solutions provider Avaya to build out an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform that will streamline the creation of business licenses in the emirate of Dubai.

The initiative with Avaya will support efforts towards realising the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, of doubling the size of Dubai's economy over the next decade and consolidating its position among the top three global cities. It will help digitise the process of business licence applications, using AI to solve the most common pain points in the journey, and providing instant digital access to experts on demand.

Dubai’s DET is the principal authority for planning, supervising, developing and marketing Dubai’s business and tourism sectors. It is also responsible for licensing and classifying all types of businesses, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. The DET portfolio includes Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), Dubai Business Licence Corporation (DBLC), Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT), Dubai SME, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) and Dubai College of Tourism (DCT).   

DET is mandated to support the government in positioning the emirate as a major hub for global economy and tourism, and in boosting the city’s economic and tourism competitiveness indicators, in line with the goals of the D33, which aims to double the size of the emirate’s economy and consolidate its position among the top three global cities over the next decade.

Under its remit, DET is driving efforts to further enhance Dubai’s diversified, innovative service-based economy to attract top global talent, deliver a world-class business environment and accelerate productivity growth. Additionally, DET is supporting Dubai’s vision to become “the world’s best city to live and work in” by promoting a diverse destination proposition that it says includes unique lifestyle and a high quality of life.

The digital-first solution customised for DET’s requirements will aim to deliver an integrated experience between customers and DET advisors across a range of digital channels. An intelligent chatbot, fed by an advanced knowledge management system, will deliver self-service tools designed to automate the most common service requests for both internal and external users.

“Our goal is to position Dubai as a global centre for business, investment and tourism, and we are doing this by supporting the evolution of the city through supportive tourism initiatives and future-proof economic programmes,” said Ahmed Al Falasi, CEO of Dubai Business Licensing Corporation, Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. “The adoption of this new customer contact platform will streamline the delivery of business licences in Dubai, making the emirate an even more attractive destination for economic activity in line with the D33 agenda.”

Avaya communications technology will also look to help DET adopt a digital-first approach to customer happiness, giving Dubai investors direct access to advisors over video from anywhere in the world. Finally, an advanced, AI-enabled analytics tools will enable DET to identify problem areas in the customer journey and enable managers to act quickly on solving them.

“DET is a best-in-class organisation that is investing heavily in the future, and going about it in the right way,” added Nidal Abou-Ltaif, senior vice-president – global head of sales at Avaya, and president of Avaya International. “By taking a staged approach to innovation, DET will be able to automate key points in the customer journey, before delivering a fully AI-powered suite of services that will transform experiences in the business set-up process. We’re proud to support DET as the organisation moves towards its D33 goals.”