Industry experts, on Saturday said that the UK’s decision to keep United Arab Emirates (UAE) in its travel ‘red list’ for the near future is a big shock to the travel and tourism sector.
Top UAE officials have also expressed dismay at UK’s decision.
Placing UAE on the ‘red list’ imposes a mandatory hotel stay on British and Irish nationals returning to England as part of its pandemic response.
The ruling which excludes all other nationalities will keep families apart, UAE officials said.
In a statement made on Twitter by UAE Ambassador to the UK, Mansoor Abulhoul,“The UAE is one of the safest countries in the world in relation to Covid-19.”
He wrote, “Summer is a key season for Emiratis and the hundreds of thousands of Britons living in the UAE to visit the UK. I hope that trade and tourism will soon resume, as well as the opportunity for families and friends across our two nations to reunite.”
About 15 countries were added to the UK’s list for quarantine-free travel from May 17, which included Portugal, Iceland, Israel, Singapore and Australia.
Passengers arriving from red list countries, including the UAE, are required to quarantine at a government-mandated hotel for 10 days at a cost of £1,750 (Dh8,982.95) per adult.
In a previous tweet, Abulhoul had praised UAE’s vaccination efforts stating, “The UAE has made significant strides in its own vaccination programme, but it’s now vital that we work just as hard to support others around the world.”
Experts said the decision will negatively impact travel and tourism between both countries.
Raja Mir Wasim, the manager, MICE and holidays at International Travel Services said, “During the summers, Emiratis travel a lot to the UK and Europe. They spend time there with their families and some of them even have properties in the UK.
They usually spend a long vacation of at least one or two months. But it is a UK government decision, and I’m sure they will look into it and will open it up soon for the UAE.”
He added, “We are also dependent on tourism, and it is one of the major contributors and I’m hopeful by the end of May or June, they will remove UAE from the red list.”