More than 60% of the UAE's population have already been vaccinated. Photo Credit: Government of Dubai
Dubai is in a good place.
Since reopening its borders to international travellers in July 2020, only good news has come forth. There was the return of MICE with the ‘Ai Everything x Restart Dubai Summer Conference’ held on 16 July; Dubai Business Events (DBE) successfully hosted a familiarisation trip for meeting planners from the UK and Russia in December; and the January opening of the Pavilions Premiere offered a glimpse into the mega Expo 2020 Dubai, slated for 1 October 2021.
Interestingly, Dubai is also proving popular as a destination for digital nomads looking to live and work in one place for an extended period, thanks to its Digital Nomad Visa.
To prepare for what will be even more visitors coming its way, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), together with the Ministry of Health & Prevention and hospitality stakeholders launched a vaccination campaign for employees of 20 hotels located on The Palm Jumeirah this month.
According to the official Dubai government report, more than 10,000 staff from these luxury resort brands have already received both doses of the vaccine. A pilot campaign initiated by Dubai Tourism, the goal was to highlight the hospitality sector's readiness and the city's commitment to safeguarding the health and safety of its residents and visitors.
On a global scale, Israel is leading the vaccination charge, with more than 90% of its population already vaccinated, followed by the UAE (64%) — ranked among the top five nations globally.
Dubai has also received a ‘Safe Travels’ stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council in recognition of its pandemic preparedness. This includes the ‘DUBAI ASSURED’ stamp — a certification for hotels and other businesses in the tourism ecosystem that have passed public health protocols.
"While we are encouraged by the success of the strong safety procedures deployed across all tourism touchpoints, we will continue to proactively update safety protocols in the hospitality, tourism and travel sectors in accordance with the changing situation," said Helal Saeed Almarri, director general, Dubai Tourism.