As travellers mull over their summer vacation plans, Emirates and Dubai is sending out the clear message that tourists are welcome to enjoy the city’s many attractions, with various measures put in place for safe visits and smooth travels.
Tourists can easily apply for visas in advance, or get their visa stamped on arrival if they hold a passport from one of 70 countries and territories, as per the entry and immigration regulations that were in place pre-pandemic.
Dubai has also updated its entry requirements for inbound travellers. From 1 August 2020, COVID-19 PCR tests will be required for all travellers arriving to Dubai or transiting Dubai. Travellers heading to the UK and Europe will also be required to hold a negative PCR test certificate.
Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said: “Dubai remains a highly attractive destination to international visitors. In the 3 weeks since Dubai re-opened for tourists, we saw more than 1.6 million searches for destination Dubai on emirates.com, and an increase in bookings with travellers coming from more than 30 countries including France, Germany, Malaysia, UK, and US. Emirates is working with Dubai Tourism and our other partners on even more attractive travel offers and packages, and we look forward to announcing these offers soon.”
Al Redha added: “We know people want to travel, and Emirates is expanding its network to provide more choice to its customers. We have also implemented various measures to assure our customers of a smooth and safe travel experience. We encourage travellers to consider Dubai as their destination of choice for enjoying their summer break, and to take advantage of the great offers and programmes during the Dubai Summer Surprises festival currently underway. Whether visiting Dubai or another Emirates destination, our customers can fly without the worry of procuring COVID-19 insurance which is required by many countries, as Emirates is the first airline to offer free global cover for COVID-19 related expenses if they should unfortunately be tested positive while they are travelling and away from home.”
Dubai is one of the world’s first cities to obtain the “Safe Travels” stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety. Since re-opening, so far the number of new COVID-19 cases across the UAE to date has remained steady and is on a downward trend.