UAE opens up for all vaccinated travellers
The sweeping move offers a boost to the country's struggling tourism sector.
By Bloomberg News, August 31 2021
The United Arab Emirates has opened up tourist visa applications to everyone who has been vaccinated with one of the shots approved by the World Health Organization, a potential boost to the country’s key tourism sector.
The decision applies to citizens of all countries, including those arriving from previously banned nations, state-run WAM reported late over the weekend.
The move is part of the country’s strategy to support “national efforts to achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth,” the news agency said.
The new rules went into effect on August 30. Passengers arriving on tourist visas must register their vaccination status on the government’s health app and undergo rapid testing at the airport, according to WAM.
Since scrapping arrivals from countries including India, Pakistan and Nigeria, the UAE has been gradually easing rules on travel.
The country, whose biggest cities include Abu Dhabi and Dubai, started to allow residents return from earlier this month.
The WHO has so far approved shots from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Cases have been steadily dropping in the UAE, which has also rolled out one of the fastest vaccination programs in the world.
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