Tourism stakeholders on Wednesday played down the UK’s removal of the UAE from its travel corridor list, which means British travellers will have to self-isolate for 10 days.
The head of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority said the emirate, known for its adventure-based attractions, would continue to attract visitors from regional and international markets while the organiser of the upcoming Emirates Festival of Literature did not think the UK’s decision would have a big impact.
One market shutting down will not have a significantly negative effect on tourism although keeping a close eye on developments and maintaining coronavirus-related safety measures remains a top priority, according to those in the UAE tourism industry.
Raki Phillips (pictured below), CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said: “At Ras Al Khaimah, sensitivity and agility of response to shifts in the global travel market across the past year have enabled us to retain guests’ interest in the destination, and champion a sense of trust and security in our offering.
“We will continue to follow our diversified approach to tourism, drawing in visitors from regional and international markets with active travel corridors allowing movement into and out of the UAE.
“Our efforts are backed by elevated hygiene and safety measures that incorporate national mandates as well as global best practices, a strategy that has led to the emirate’s certification as a safe destination by Bureau Veritas, the first city in the world to do so, and the Safe Travels Stamp from the World Travel and Tourism,” he added.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Monday night that the UAE would be removed from the travel corridor list at short notice.
Travellers returning to Britain from Dubai are now required to self-isolate for 10 days.
While continuing to monitor the situation for any worsening developments, and having contingency plans at hand, events in the UAE seem set to continue as normal.
“Since authors are coming from a wide range of countries, any single country closing its air corridor does not in itself have a huge impact, but we are of course monitoring the global situation,” Ahlam Bolooki, festival director for Emirates Festival of Literature told Arabian Business.
“Back in August, when we announced that we would have the festival in 2021, we expected to have a hybrid format, blending virtual and physical appearances as necessitated by the different circumstances around the world. We have put in place operational plans to pivot to virtual when needed, and the safety of our audiences, our authors and our team is our top priority,” she added.
Bolooki also addressed the safety measures that will be in place at the festival, which will take place from January 29 to February 13, saying there will be “regular testing of all speakers and all team members, sanitisation between sessions and crowd reduction measures.”
Their comments came as the UAE on Wednesday recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases for the second successive day, just 24 hours after Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum hailed efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
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