‘Welcome again in your second home:’ Dubai greets tourists with coronavirus controls

The return of flights to Dubai’s airports is an important step in supporting the aviation sector and reinforcing the UAE, and especially Dubai, as one of the world’s leading aviation centers, Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, GDRFA, said on Monday, state news agency WAM reported.

On Tuesday, tourists were welcomed back to Dubai after authorities decided to suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country on March 23 to slow the spread of coronavirus. Tourism activities in Dubai were earlier cancelled on March 16, and Dubai’s Expo 2020, which was set to begin in October, was postponed for a year.

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General Al Marri said that tourists will be welcomed back to Dubai under the slogan “Welcome again in your second home.”

Dubai’s airports have implemented precautionary measures, and Emirates airline, Dubai’s largest airline, released guidelines for tourists on traveling to the emirate amid coronavirus. On July 4, authorities announced that UAE citizens and residents were once again allowed to travel to international destinations, as long as travelers adhere to precautionary requirements.

While preparing to open borders to visitors, Dubai Tourism boosted efforts to attract summer holiday-goers by deploying over 350 influencers to share Dubai’s story in 14 languages across social media platforms.

Employees at Dubai International Airport, walk past a poster reminding passengers to keep a safe distance from each other, after the resumption of scheduled operations by Emirates airline, amid the coronavirus pandemic, on May 22, 2020. (AFP)

“Dubai’s tourism sector remains optimistic due to positive factors and indicators including the gradual reopening of borders; the lifting of travel restrictions in other countries; and the resumption of passenger flights by our key partners Emirates, which will operate flights to over 50 cities this month, and flydubai, which has resumed services to several destinations,” Dubai Tourism said.

Nearly 17 million tourists visited Dubai last year, and in 2016, tourism contributed 5 percent to Dubai’s gross domestic product. State-owned Emirates carried nearly 58 million passengers last year.

As Dubai continues to reopen, with restaurants now operating at 60 percent capacity, Dubai Tourism also issued new guidelines for entertainers performing at restaurants and outdoor areas within hotel establishments.

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