As travellers mull over their summer vacation plans, Emirates and Dubai are 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 in 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 the 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 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.
From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world-class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai is one of the most popular global destinations. In 2019, Dubai welcomed 16.7 million visitors and hosted hundreds of global meetings and exhibitions, as well as sports and entertainment events.
Emirates currently serves over 65 cities, with safe and convenient connections via its Dubai hub for customers travelling between the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific. Customers from Emirates’ network can stopover or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors.
Free, global cover for COVID-19 related costs: Customers can now travel with confidence, as Emirates has committed to cover COVID-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until 31 October 2020 (first flight to be completed on or before 31 October 2020) and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey. This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination. For more details: www.emirates.com/COVID19assistance.
Health and safety: Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.
