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Crisis Fails to Stem Inflow
of Visitors

DUBAI - The global credit crunch has not adversely affected the inflow of visitors to Dubai, according to Major-General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director of Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department.

Al Marri said his department had issued 86,000 new residency permits in December last year, while only 30,000 residency permits were cancelled in the same month.

“We do not see any difference in the number of visitors. People are coming and some are going. It is a natural process,” he said.

Speaking with Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the 7th Government Discussion Forum on Electronic Identity Documents, Al Marri said Dubai has an enviable reputation for using the latest technologies to handle growing numbers of passengers entering and exiting, especially at the Dubai International Airport. “For example, in 2002, we launched 27 e-gates. By the end of 2008, the number of e-gates at DIA terminals reached 100,” Al Marri said on Tuesday.

“The development of the e-gate technology also allowed us to offer value-added services to Dubai’s flagship airlines, Emirates, whereby each of its 14,000 crew members receives an e-gate card upon enrolment to facilitate their frequent entry and exit procedures.”

Ensuring border security and implementing quick identification methods for spotting forged passports and travel documents are priorities for the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD).

Through the latest biometric devices such as iris scan and the fingerprint identification devices, the department was able to thwart 53,404 attempts to enter the country illegally.

In 2008, the department installed the ADDISON programme to help identify the forged and counterfeit travel documents. As a result, 1,808 forged passports were seized, Al Marri said.

“In a unique initiative, the DNRD created a new e-system at the Hatta-Oman border to expedite the passport control procedures and reduce waiting time for travellers. Under this system, travellers get their passports checked once only on either side of the border.”

riyasbabu@khaleejtimes.com