The United Arab Emirates said it will resume issuing tourist visas to vaccinated travellers from Aug. 30, the state news agency (WAM) reported on Saturday.
The decision also covered people coming in from countries from which the UAE had previously barred entry, WAM reported. In those cases, visitors would have to take a COVID-19 test on arrival, it added.
The move comes amid a drop in coronavirus infections in the oil-rich Gulf country, after it reported less than 1,000 cases per day last week for the first time in months, and a month before Dubai hosts the delayed Expo 2020 trade fair.
The UAE’s decision to reopen its doors to tourists from all countries was taken in order “to achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth”, the official WAM news agency reported on Saturday.
Those eligible would have to be fully inoculated with one of the Covid-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization, which include AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
“Passengers arriving on tourist visas must take a mandatory PCR test at the airport,” it added.
All previous rules for those unvaccinated, including exempted categories, remain in place.
Travellers wishing to receive the benefits provided to those vaccinated in the UAE can register their vaccination via the ICA platform or Al Hosn application.
Dubai was last year counting on the six-month Dubai Expo 2020 — delayed a year by the health crisis and now set to open in October — to attract millions of visitors and boost the economy. (Agencies)
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