KHALEEJ TIMES, Sunday, Jun 28, 2020 | Zul Qaadah 07, 1441
Dubai ready to welcome visitors
Emirates:
Dubai expects to first start receiving tourists from those countries
which are already open or opening for tourism and where people are returning
to their normal life, said a senior official.
"Over the last three weeks, we have seen people in many countries returning to
their normal way of living - going back to work, while some schools are also
opening in some places. We have seen a bit of shift in countries like Germany,
Spain, France and Greece. Many of these destinations are either open or opening
for tourism market. We expect to start first with the countries that are ready.
Although, there are going to be challenges ahead of us, we have great confidence
in the tourism sector and Dubai," said Helal Saeed Almarri, director-general of
Dubai Tourism.
Airports in Dubai will welcome tourists from July 7, following over three months
of restrictions on international travel in order to contain the spread of
Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Even though a few countries have opened up their tourism sectors, others still
have restrictions in place for tourists.
Almarri said PCR test is mandatory for Dubai visitors and it can happen in the
country of origin within four days of departure. But if the visitor is unable to
do that, it can be conducted at Dubai airport. Also, travel insurance is
mandatory for Dubai visitors and they will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine
if tested positive at their own expense.
Almarri hoped a gradual opening up of the markets over this course of summer.
Ready to welcome
tourists
"Here in Dubai, we remain dynamic to face any challenge. Currently, we have all
precautionary measures in place across the city and are ready to welcome people.
We assure that Dubai tourism will recover over the coming seasons and we are
also sure that Dubai will come on top of it," he said, while replying to queries
of industry executives.
"We are completely ready. Since mid-May, we have been opening gradually and all
the landmarks are open now. Hotels, resorts, water parks, beaches: all these
have their own safety measures and rules of social distance in place to make
sure everybody feels safe. All our tourism offices are open and we are working
with 3,000 partners to ensure everybody is ready to take bookings," Almarri
pointed out.
Ayman Ashor, cluster general manager, Al Bandar Rotana and Al Bandar Arjaan by
Rotana, said the hospitality industry is very positive and excited with the
reopening of the emirate for tourists from July 7.
"Dubai is the first to open for tourism and also now it one of the safest in the
world. We are expecting tourists initially returning from European markets
including Germany, the UK and Holland as well as America. In fact, we have
already started booking from Germany and other European markets. We are
receiving a mix of visitors - individuals and families who are mainly leisure
travellers not business," Ashor told Khaleej
Times.
With regard to Asian markets, he said it might take longer for tourists from
Asian markets to return.
Replying to a question of why visitors are flocking back to Dubai again, he
said: "They feel that Dubai is very safe. Dubai used to impress all the world
and it proved yet again to the world of how it protected the residents and
overcome the pandemic very quickly."
Avinash Adnani, managing director of Pluto Travels, expects most of the initial
people coming to Dubai will be business people coming from Africa and Iran.
He said the return of visitors to Dubai will depend on two factors - flights are
operational to that country and secondly people should be able to go back
peacefully without being quarantined in the returning country.
"More than tourists, a lot of business people and traders will start coming in.
Because July and August are the leanest time for incoming tourists. By
September, tourists will start coming but now business people will take
advantage of reopening the market," he said.
"The UAE proactively managed the Covid-19 situation. Dubai was considered to be
the safest destination in terms of human safety and now it is the safest in
terms of hygiene safety. That will be a very big positive for the local tourism
sector," added Adnani.
Lot of flexibility
Dubai received record 16.73 million overnight visitors in 2019 - an
all-time high, growing by 5.1 per cent and surpassing growth forecast of the UN
World Tourism Organisation by over one per cent.
Almarri pointed out that if there is a challenge in a specific market, the
emirate turn its attention, marketing and capacity to other markets.
"We have a lot of flexibility in that. We do see a large number of people still
considering travelling within this year. We see international markets opening
and we are working with all relevant bodies to come back in a very strong way,"
he underlined.
Replying to a query about whether tourism sector will go back to pre-Covid
level, he said, "Definitely, yes. We are very sure that tourism in Dubai will
overcome this challenge very quickly. In reality, people have already started
looking at their next destination and Dubai is at the top of their list."
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