Director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Helal Al Marri said that Dubai aims to reopen its tourism by July, after banning most arrivals since March to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Al Marri said, “The reopening process will be gradual and could be delayed until September, depending on the situation and global trends surrounding Covid-19.
“The thing about the scenario is a global question. Many countries remain closed and it’s more about the bilateral discussion.”
There is no secret that the emirate’s economy is majorly depended on tourism, trade and retail.
That’s the reason Dubai began to ease the lockdown restrictions since last week including reopening of shopping malls after being closed for almost a month.
In 2019, Dubai welcomed 16.7 million tourists. The top three important markets apart from China were Saudi Arabia, India and the United Kingdom.
Tourism is a key sector for Dubai. Al Marri is optimistic and said it will bounce back and it will heavily focus on health and hygiene.