Designing Dubai's green future: a student-led sustainable tourism app

Purpose With close to 20 million tourists a year vising Dubai and with tourism contributing almost 12% to the UAE's GDP it is imperative to develop environmentally responsible tourism and encourage responsible behavior amongst tourists. This research aims to address this challenge by designing a prototype mobile application driven by students at a higher educational institute in Dubai to encourage sustainable tourism. By aligning with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UAE's green agenda and expanding on the existing Visit Dubai app, this project hopes to fill a gap in sustainable tourism app development while fostering student innovation. Design/methodology/approach This research employs a design thinking methodology emphasizing user-centered development. Initial stages involve analyzing popular travel apps in order to find best practices in sustainability approaches and technological engagement and effectiveness. Content and software integration are informed by industry conversations with app developers such as Dubai based DeviceBee Technologies and Visit Dubai developers. In order to enhance user interaction with sustainability content, students are developing a prototype app that combines gamification, AI and AR. The study combines technical expertise with insights from industry to refine the functionality and educational impact of the app. Findings The findings highlight two key areas needed in current local tourism apps: limited sustainability-focused content and underdeveloped interactive technologies. This prototype addresses these by integrating real-time sustainability tips (e.g. water conservation, waste reduction) with immersive features like AR-guided eco-tours. Challenges include overcoming tourist skepticism toward green messaging and ensuring data privacy. The app's success hinges on balancing educational value with entertainment and leveraging UAE-specific sustainability initiatives. The research also highlights how student-led innovation can bridge the gap between practical tools and societal trends influencing real-world tourist behaviors. Originality/value This study presents an innovative, student-developed tool aimed at promoting sustainable tourism in the UAE, a sector with limited existing app solutions. Only a small number of tourism apps worldwide prioritize sustainability, and even fewer are co-developed by students as part of higher education initiatives. This prototype addresses a need by merging cutting-edge technology with content aligned to SDGs, thereby offering a model that can be replicated in other countries. Its interdisciplinary approach, merging app development, sustainability and experiential learning provides benefits to academia, industry and government.