Dubai reopens for foreign visitors after 4 months lockdown

Dubai also reopened restaurants, malls and beaches

Dubai has allowed the international tourists to visit the city emirate after the 4 month long lockdown and restrictions. The Emirates media centre has confirmed the news of lifting the restrictions. But, like most other destinations, tourists coming into Dubai from today July 7 will need to adhere to a list of rules and guidelines.
As per the new rules, tourists entering Dubai from July 7 are required to present their recent COVID-19 negative certificates. Alternatively, they can also opt to undergo testing at the airport. Any traveller who tests positive will be required to spend 14 days in isolation. It has also been stated that even if you do carry a COVID-19 negative certificate, the test must be done 96 hours before travel.

Dubai has already reopened its malls, restaurants, public transport, hotels and resorts. Dubai, known for its mega malls, high-end restaurants and five-star hotels and resorts, but all have taken a severe hit during the coronavirus outbreak and Dubai's GDP in the first quarter of 2020 was down by 3.5% year-on-year.

 Dubai now reopened its doors to international visitors Tuesday with a "welcome" passport sticker and coronavirus tests on arrival, in the hope of reviving its tourism industry after a nearly four-month closure.

But businesses are mainly betting on those already living in the gleaming desert city to energise its ailing economy and serve as a test run before wary foreign holidaymakers return.

"A warm welcome to your second home," says the sticker applied to passports at Dubai airport, where employees wear hazmat suits and vending machines offer personal protective equipment.

The reopening comes even as the number of COVID-19 cases in the United Arab Emirates climbs to 52,068 included 324 deaths, with millions of foreign workers living in cramped accommodation particularly hard hit.

Tourism has long been the lifeline of the glitzy Gulf emirate, one of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. High season starts in October when the scorching heat of the Gulf summer starts to dissipate. This season ended in April as the temperatures started to rise.

Dubai welcomed more than 16.7 million visitors last year, and before the pandemic crippled global travel, the aim had been to reach 20 million arrivals in 2020.

With scant oil resources compared to its neighbours, Dubai has built the most diversified economy in the Gulf, boasting a reputation as a financial, commercial and tourism hub despite an economic downturn in recent years.

Dubai-based airline Emirates, the largest in the Middle East, has been forced to slash its sprawling network and has laid off thousands of staff. Before reopening to international tourists, authorities launched social media campaigns and deployed hundreds of social media "influencers" to tout Dubai's attractions.

Before reopening to international tourists, authorities launched social media campaigns and deployed hundreds of social media "influencers" to tout Dubai's attractions.

Restarting hospitality by "primarily targeting the domestic market is an important first step in our phased approach towards restoring normalcy in the tourism industry," said Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

And key to the effort are health and safety measures at hotels to "reassure guests and travellers that Dubai is one of the world's safest destinations," he said in a statement last month.

International tourists travelling by air to Dubai must ensure they meet all requirements for entry to the UAE.

New Rules for tourists

They will need to download the Covid-19 DXB app and register their details on it to facilitate communication with health authorities if they experience Covid-19 symptoms.

In addition to filling the ‘Health Declaration Form’ before embarking, they should ensure they have a valid health insurance before they enter the UAE.

The airline has the right to refuse boarding at the airport of departure if tourists display any Covid-19 symptoms.

Tourists must undergo a PCR test with a maximum validity of four days (96 hours) ahead of the date of departure.

They will be required to show proof of not being infected with the virus on arrival at Dubai airports.

If they cannot provide this proof, they will undergo a PCR test at the airport.

All arrivals will be subject to thermal screenings.

If a traveller is suspected to have Covid-19 symptoms, Dubai airports have the right to re-test to ensure the tourist is free of the virus.

It is mandatory for tourists who test positive for Covid-19 to register their details on the Covid-19 DXB app and isolate them at an institutional facility provided by the government for 14 days at their own expense.

Furthermore, the committee added that all positive Covid-19 cases should strictly adhere to the measures outlined by the Covid-19 Command and Control Centre.

                                                               Naila Chaudhry