Tyrese offers hugs to his UAE fans

Tyrese has asked his fans in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, calling on “real fans only” to “save the date” and come to meet him in person in Abu Dhabi. “

Tyrese Gibson greets fans at Virgin Megastore in Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi on July 23, 2015. Christopher Pike / The National

Tyrese Gibson's love affair with the UAE is still going strong. The actor, singer, songwriter, author, television producer and former model, best known for his role in The Fast and The Furious franchise, arrived in Dubai last week to celebrate his birthday, on December 30, and ring in the New Year – and get up close and personal with fans at a meet and greet on Tuesday.

The star’s visit was, once again, documented on his Instagram account. He posted a picture of himself – dressed in his now familiar kandura and headscarf combo – boarding his flight to Dubai from Los Angeles with the caption: “Headed back to my favourite place... The #UAE...We’re about to go BIG for my birthday Dec 30th!”

Tyrese also posted regular shout-outs to his fans in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, calling on “real fans only” to “save the date” and come to meet him in person in Abu Dhabi. “I wanna meet you! This is my invite to do a meet and greet...please come meet me at the Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi on Jan 5th from 2pm to 5pm,” he wrote.

Etihad Towers was a key filming location for Furious 7, which was released last year, and Tyrese told fans: "I can't wait to meet you, hug you and take pictures with you... If I were you I would get there early. Bring your movie posters, albums, Blu-ray and DVDs I will sign them... All ages are welcome."

Tyrese will be leaving the UAE on Wednesday, and he said the meet-and-greet is his way of ­“returning the love”.

In his posts announcing the event, Tyrese thanks “His Highness Sheikh Suroor bin Mohammed Al Nahyan aka @suroormohd for saying YES to this wild and fun idea”.

Tyrese spent what seems to have been a memorable New Year’s Eve in Dubai. He took time out from celebrating to reassure fans that he was not affected by the fire that ravaged The Address Downtown Dubai hotel and residential tower.

“Guys thank you for your concerns I was no where NEAR the isolated hotel fire that happened in Dubai last night! I’m poppin on a mega yacht in the ocean,” he wrote.

Tyrese didn’t waste much time returning to the UAE – he was last here in November, to attend the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – after a well-publicised visit to Dubai, of course.

The 37-year-old has become a regular visitor. Other memorable stops include a birthday skydive with Will Smith in 2014, for the filming of Furious 7 the same year, and a record signing at Yas Mall last July.

Keep an eye on his Instagram account, on which he promised to share the exact location of the meet-and-greet soon.