June 2018,
Dubai: A new policy to offer free limited transit visas to transit passengers to come into effect soon. The date is to be announced soon, possibly 1 October 2018.
This would allow visitors to stay in the UAE for nearly a week, and it’s not just good for the tourism sector but for the local economy as a whole.
The visa, which can be obtained at express counters across UAE airports, can be extended for up to four days for a minimal fee of Dh50.
The Cabinet approved a new decision to exempt transit passengers from all entry fees for the first 48 hours. Transit visa can be extended for up to 96 hours for a fee of only Dh50.
Conditions for applying for transit visas
In order to apply for transit visa, passengers must meet the following conditions. The passengers:
- must have a valid passport and a confirmed onward booking to a 3rd destination
- must ensure that the transit time between his original and connecting flight is between 8 hours and 4 calendar days
- must leave the UAE within 96 hours (four days) of arrival, or 14 days after the visa was issued
- must have a confirmed hotel reservation in the UAE.
“Many new attractions are opening up in the UAE and these measures will boost tourism inflows and also result in incremental sales in the hotel and retail sectors. Theme parks and other tourist attractions like desert safari’s would also benefit from these transit passengers wanting to take a small break in the UAE,”
According to the latest data from the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) Dubai alone saw a total of 15.79 million visitors in 2017, up by 6.2 per cent over a year earlier. The majority of the tourists were from India, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.
Dubai expects to have 20 million tourists by 2020
Source: gulfnews.com
