Dubai gears up to attract tourists and residents in the summer

The emirate’s tourism sector remains optimistic as travel restrictions ease and international flights restart

Dubai's iconic Burj Al Arab hotel. Dubai is set to open for tourists on July 7. Courtesy: Dubai Tourism

Dubai is gearing up to attract visitors and residents with campaigns to benefit retailers and hotels as it reopens for tourists on July 7 and more residents are set to spend their summer in the city.

The city will kick off its annual shopping festival the Dubai Summer Surprises on July 9, with retailers to offer new experiences to shoppers as malls operate at full capacity, Dubai Tourism said on Saturday. This was part of its virtual forum with stakeholders to discuss the industry's outlook.

"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 ... a development that will be a turning point in the tourism sector’s road to recovery," Helal Almarri, director general of Dubai Tourism, said.

Dubai’s tourism sector remains optimistic due to positive indicators including the gradual reopening of borders, lifting of travel restrictions in other countries, and the resumption of passenger flights by Emirates and Flydubai, Dubai Tourism said.

The emirate aims to further consolidate its position by forging links with more countries that will be opening up over the course of the summer, the government agency said.

Dubai Tourism launched various marketing campaigns and outreach programmes in international markets to lure travellers to choose the emirate as a destination when it is safe to travel.

The virtual gathering also discussed the economic stimulus package aimed at ensuring business continuity as well as detailed procedures for welcoming tourists to Dubai.

Tourists must present on arrival at Dubai airports a valid Covid-19 negative certificate based on a PCR test they have done four days prior to travel or undergo testing on arrival at the emirate.

The tourism industry worldwide has borne the brunt of the damage unleashed by restrictions to contain the coronavirus as countries sealed their borders and airlines grounded their planes.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) projects 850 million to 1.1 billion fewer international tourist arrivals, leading to a loss of $910 billion to $1.2 trillion (Dh3.3tn to Dh4.4tn)  in export revenues from tourism in 2020.