Abu Dhabi’s move to remove quarantine on international arrivals from July 1 could turn out to be just the boost that the emirate’s tourism and aviation sectors were seeking.
Abu Dhabi currently requires travelers to quarantine for 10 days unless they are from a ‘green-list’ country. So far, it has relied on domestic tourism to fill up its hotels and resorts during the pandemic months.
But “The focus on domestic will continue – the majority of our visitors in the past two years were domestic,” said Ali Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi.
As of now, 40 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s tourism market is derived from residents’ spending, which allowed the emirate’s hotels to maintain occupancy rates of 65-70 per cent in 2020. “With the ease of restrictions and travel, we will tap into international and try to get that market share as well,” said Al Shaiba.
More than hotels, the easing of quarantine decision is a big relief for airlines such as Etihad, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi. “We are working side by side with these airline partners to increase the frequency and capacity from source markets,” he added. “Wherever we see there is an opportunity to increase (tourist) numbers.”
