A raft of measures to support the hospitality sector were set out at Dubai's Arabian Travel Market 2021, including a one-month trial to ease Covid-19 rules for bars, restaurants and live venues. Antonie Robertson / The National
The 2021 Arabian Travel Market exhibition opened at the World Trade Centre in Dubai on May 16. Antonie Robertson / The National
Top industry leaders, ministers, airline executives and hoteliers will meet during the four-day event. Antonie Robertson / The National
Organisers say it is the first in-person travel and tourism event in the world since the onset of the pandemic. Antonie Robertson / The National
This year's event comes at a crucial time as the global aviation and tourism industry battles the Covid-19 pandemic. Antonie Robertson / The National
A man makes handicrafts at the Saudi Arabia stand at Arabian Travel Market exhibition. Antonie Robertson / The National
Coffee is served at the Saudi Arabia stand at Arabian Travel Market. Antonie Robertson / The National
The Emirates Airlines stand at Arabian Travel Market. Antonie Robertson / The National
The Saudi Arabia stand at Arabian Travel Market. Antonie Robertson / The National
This year's exhibition is being held under the theme "A new dawn for travel and tourism". Antonie Robertson / The National
The Morocco stand at Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National
Visitors at the Expo 2020 Dubai stand at Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National
Visitors tour some of the exhibition stands at Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National
This year's event will focus on the current state of the industry, progress on vaccines and future trends. Pawan Singh / The National
Visitors at the Abu Dhabi stand look at a model of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National
Visitors tour the Dubai exhibit at Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National
An artisan makes handicrafts at the Saudi Arabia stand at Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National
Visitors at the Saudi Arabia stand. Pawan Singh / The National
The Egypt stand at Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National.
The Dubai stand, with a model of Burj Khalifa in the foreground, at Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National.
The Expo 2020 Dubai stand at the Arabian Travel Market. Delayed from last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Expo 2020 Dubai opens on October 1. Pawan Singh / The National.
Visitors explore the Expo 2020 Dubai stand at Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National.
Abu Dhabi plans to remove Covid-19 quarantine restrictions for international travellers from July 1, except for visitors from India, and expand its green travel list to boost tourism in the emirate.
"How we are going to move forward in 2021 … Abu Dhabi will be open for everyone with no quarantine protocol starting from July 1," Ali Al Shaiba, executive director of tourism and marketing at the emirate's Department of Culture and Tourism, told The National on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
“We are going to welcome everybody to Abu Dhabi with a different [travelling] protocol but no quarantine.”
There are 22 countries on the emirate’s green list, which allows quarantine-free travel for passengers from those destinations.
The list will be expanded until the beginning of the third quarter, he said.
A few more countries could be added this week, Mr Al Shaiba said.
Abu Dhabi also plans to ease restrictions on a number of tourism activities.
The move is expected to positively affect the sector as it will increase the capacity of “many of activities and attractions”, said Mr Al Shaiba, without providing further details.
The emirate will have different testing protocols for visitors from low-risk and high-risk countries.
Those coming from countries with higher infection rates will have to undergo two tests – one before they travel and another upon arrival.
“People who will come from low-risk countries will take just one test, either before or after they land in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Abu Dhabi will announce details of travel protocols later when it unveils its summer tourism promotion campaign, said Mr Al Shaiba.
Travellers from India, the emirate’s second-biggest source market after the UK and the world’s second-highest population, will still need to quarantine.
As of yesterday, India had about 24.7 million Covid-19 infections, second only to the US.
Given the current situation in India, the UAE capital will not be able to allow quarantine-free travel by July but may consider changing India’s status in September, said Mr Al Shaiba.
“It also depends on India itself, if they will allow their people to travel,” he said.
The temporary closure of the Indian market poses a challenge for Abu Dhabi and the department is closely monitoring the situation.
“We will see when India recovers, either partially or fully. We will definitely reactivate that market when the time will come,” he said.
“We will see when India recovers, either partially or fully. We will definitely reactivate that market when the time will come,” said Mr Al Shaiba.
To offset the impact, the emirate is exploring opportunities in other markets, said Mr Al Shaiba.
“Africa might be another opportunity for us and also some of the eastern European countries,” he said.
Abu Dhabi will also look at some smaller markets in Asia to boost tourist numbers.
The offer of quarantine-free travel will give people in different source markets a safe destination to visit.
Mr Al Shaiba said there had already been some encouraging indicators, especially from Russia.
From both an infrastructure and safety perspective, the emirate is ready to welcome visitors after its rapid vaccination campaign helped to build confidence, he said.
While the global tourism industry has been the hardest hit by the pandemic, Abu Dhabi responded well to the crisis and performed better than some of its peers last year.
It is adapting to the changed landscape but it will take another two years before inbound traveller numbers return to the 11.35 million visitors recorded before the pandemic, said Mr Al Shaiba.
“Today, let us be realistic ... we are going back to the base of 2019 maybe by 2023,” he said.
The department’s focus will also be on increasing the length of overnight stays to two or 2.6 nights on average over the next three years.
The emirate’s long-term goal is to attract 23 million visitors a year and generate 4 per cent of gross domestic product from tourism by 2030.
Abu Dhabi has about 33,000 hotel rooms, which is more than enough to accommodate the expected rise in tourist numbers when quarantine-free travel begins.
The emirate is also investing in ecological sites as it repositions itself to tap into the eco-tourism market.
A pipeline of more eco-friendly destinations is already being drawn up, said Mr Al Shaiba.
“We will make this part very strong. We will announce a lot of projects very soon.”
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Dos
Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
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Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
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Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
There are different types of travel available for pets:
Manifest cargo
Excess luggage in the hold
Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
