Dubai International Airport has organised a welcome-back campaign for summer holiday-makers returning from their vacations. From now until August 30, families will be met in Terminal 3 by staff presenting signs, chocolates, and live music during their Thursday mornings.
The campaign, which is open to both residents and visitors who happen to be passing through, is designed to provide a warm welcome and lasting impression for returning residents taking longer-haul flights.
Dubai Airports have assigned guest experience ambassadors to key locations within the arrival process, including the bag carousel, arrivals hall, and transit area, as well as providing traditional Oud music in the arrivals hall.
A dedicated station lets families craft personalized welcome banners using stickers and Dubai-themed decorations, an activity that drew children eager to surprise relatives walking through the gates.
Mascots representing Dubai Police and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs also mingled with arriving passengers for photographs, adding a playful touch to the reunions.
Refreshments handed out during the campaign come courtesy of several oneDXB partners, among them Emirates Flight Catering, Project Chaiwala, Mirzam, Garrett Popcorn and the Emirati District, with staff also distributing chocolates and bottled water to passengers as they left the terminal.
The scenes captured the emotional pull of homecoming for many. One South African resident said she had waited more than a year and a half to see her sister again, describing tearful hugs at the gate after her daughter spent time decorating a welcome sign for her aunt.
A Dubai resident returning from a family holiday in Thailand said the gesture lifted her family’s spirits despite an overnight flight, with her children stopping to pose alongside airport mascots before heading home to prepare for the new school term.
The gesture follows other recent passenger-focused initiatives at DXB, including faster baggage screening technology and surprise gifts for departing travellers, as Dubai Airports continues positioning hospitality as a core part of the arrival and departure experience for the millions who pass through the hub each year.
