There may be thousands of taxi drivers in Dubai, but the world’s most famous one is about to jet in for the weekend.

Hollywood legend Robert De Niro will touch down in the UAE not to promote one of his films, but to attend a swanky conference.

The Taxi Driver star will speak at a business event designed to boost tourism in Antigua and Barbuda – and it turns out the Oscar winner has a longtime love affair with the Caribbean.

De Niro is so passionate about tourism in the region that he’s invested US$250 million into a mega-resort project in Barbuda.

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The Paradise Found development, which the 73-year-old Godfather actor is building with billionaire James Packer, will feature villas with private pools, an airport, and a casino.

The resort is set to be spread over 391 acres, and also house an eco-lodge and yacht marina. It would take over the since-closed K-Club, which used to be a favourite beach hideway of the late Princess Diana.

It wouldn’t be the first hospitality venture for De Niro either – he’s also developed a handful of hotels and restaurants under the Nobu brand with chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

De Niro will speak at the conference, held in the glitzy Palazzo Versace Hotel Dubai, in his role as “Special Economic Envoy”, highlighting to guests the investment opportunities in the two islands.

He’s been visiting the Caribbean since he was in his twenties, telling a press conference in Barbuda that “it’s about the location and the people”.

So if you want to see him in the flesh, you need to score an invite to that October 9 event.

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Image: Getty