Dubai to welcome tourists with mandatory tests and tracking app - or a £2,200 fine
British tourists will be soon able to holiday in Dubai again, as the UAE prepares to throw open its doors to holidaymakers following one of the strictest lockdowns in the world.
From July 7, tourists will be able to travel to Dubai, but they will have to meet a raft of stringent conditions or face heavy fines.
About 1.5 million Brits visit the UAE every year, but the Covid-19 lockdown saw an almost complete shutdown of the tourist destination, with just a handful of flights repatriating citizens to their home countries.
Visitors will now have to get themselves tested for Covid-19 no more than 72 hours before their flight, privately in the UK, and arrive in the Emirates equipped with a certificate showing they have swabbed negative - or they’ll face testing and self-quarantine on arrival.
They’ll also be made to download a government’s tracing app to their mobile phone. Those who don't follow the strict guidelines could see their holiday costs increase drastically - failing to download, or register, the app could see tourists facing fines of up to DH10,000 (£2200).
Whilst flouting social distancing rules, or forgetting to wear masks in public can invite penalties of up to DH 3000 (£650)
Visitors will also have to be able to prove they have full medical insurance. If they catch the virus whilst sunning themselves on Dubai’s beaches, they’ll be liable for quarantine and treatment costs, charges which can run well into the thousands of pounds.
Though the UAE was not included in the list of mooted ‘air-bridge’ destinations - countries those from the UK will be able to visit without having to self-quarantine for two weeks on return, Dubai authorities are confident that will soon change.
Until then, self-quarantine on return to the UK is just another thing tourists will have to deal with.
Yet the city’s glitzy beaches and bars are slowly beginning to open, so too are the sights. They’ll be allowed to browse the stores at Dubai Mall, providing they wear a mask.
The Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building opened last month. Atmosphere, the luxury restaurant on its 122nd floor is now taking bookings too.
However, other landmarks remain shuttered – for those hoping to check in to the £2500 per night, sail-shaped Burj Al Arab – the world’s only 7-Star hotel, will be disappointed - as it remains closed.
Yet to underline the delicacy of the situation, Dubai’s opening coincides with so-called second spikes being reported in nearby Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Flight Centre told The Sunday Telegraph it had seen a 100 per cent increase in searches for holidays to the destination. Toby Clinton, Head of Tour Operations for the company, said “We’re seeing customers booking destinations you can reach with a single flight. Dubai is definitely one of these popular one-flight destinations.”
Richard Corston from Salford booked his summer holiday to Dubai before Christmas. Having resisted offers to delay, and refusing vouchers from the airline, he remains determined to travel at the end of July.
“My family needs this holiday. We’re happy to jump through the hoops, we just have to get away,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.
