Dubai all set to reopen for tourists

Marking a turning point in the tourism sector's road to recovery, the world's sought-after destination for tourists is all set to welcome holiday-makers from July 7 following the successful management of the Covid-19 pandemic and Dubai's efforts to revive the sector by reopening tourism facilities including hotels and airports, as well as the resumption of flights.
Reassuring tourists of several comprehensive measures to prevent the transmission of the pandemic, Dubai Tourism urged global travellers to make the city that boasts world class health and safety standards "a must-visit destination."
Dubai Tourism hosted a virtual forum for stakeholders and partners to share its industry outlook ahead of the city's reopening to international tourists. The forum, which was attended by nearly 2,000 key executives from the aviation, travel and hospitality sectors and across tourism touch-points, provided a first-hand insight into current and post-pandemic strategies that will help accelerate tourism momentum and position Dubai as a safe global destination.
Helal Saeed Almarri, director general, Dubai Tourism, said that the city has put in place a robust strategy to manage the pandemic with the key priority being to safeguard the health and well-being of citizens, residents and guests. "Now, as we get nearer to reopening the city to tourists, we are encouraged by the success of the strong procedures deployed across sectors that have reinforced Dubai's commitment to the health and safety of visitors when they start arriving from July 7, a development that will be a turning point in the tourism sector's road to recovery."
"The effective management of Covid-19, our three-phase programme to revive the sector and the citywide reopening of tourism facilities including hotels and airports, as well as the resumption of flights by our leading carriers are testament to the significant efforts made to welcome tourists back to Dubai. However, the city could not have made such positive strides without the tireless efforts of our public health authorities and the continuous cooperation between government entities and our stakeholders that supported the resumption of activity in various sectors without compromising on health and safety protocols," Almarri said.
"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 in a statement.
Dubai, which saw a 5.1 per cent in tourist traffic to 16.73 million in 2019, remains top of mind for travellers and ranks high in global Internet search rankings for tourist destinations. The city hopes to further consolidate its position by forging links with more countries that will be opening up over the course of the summer, the statement said.
Dubai Tourism has launched marketing activities designed to convey positive messages about travel in today's environment, Dubai's preparedness, high standards of quality and safety, unique experiences that await visitors and also address traveller concerns across every touch-point in their journey.
The forum highlighted the preventive measures taken so far against Covid-19 that have further elevated the UAE's standing as one of the world's safest countries. The UAE is globally ranked No.3 in testing per million of population. It was also ranked No.3 in an international survey that assessed satisfaction with governments' response to the pandemic.
Programmes launched by Dubai Tourism include a series of digital activations #TillWeMeetAgain and the recently launched #WeWillSeeYouSoon campaign. Dubai Tourism is also rolling out initiatives with social media and technology partners to sustain interest in Dubai as the destination of choice. These include a Discover Dubai VR Hub, a collaboration with Google that provides prospective travellers the opportunity to obtain a cardboard headset to view 360-degree videos of Dubai via their mobile phones. The Discover Dubai VR Hub also allows travellers to explore select attractions in Dubai from every angle through the Google Street View feature.
Over 350 influencers were also deployed to take the Dubai story in 14 different languages to a global audience spanning 18 markets, which yielded over 21 million engagements across multiple social media platforms.
- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com

Issac John

issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com