Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Abu Dhabi won't be rushed into re-opening to tourists amid coronavirus threat

Senior tourism exec says UAE capital will not be pressured into any decision as health and safety comes first
Abu Dhabi will not be rushed to reopen its doors to international visitors, according to a senior tourism official.

Saeed Al Saeed, marketing director at the emirate’s Department of Culture and Tourism, insisted the UAE capital will not be pressured into any decision and stressed that the health and safety of residents, citizens and visitors will remain paramount.

Dubai has welcomed back tourists since the start of July, following the enforced coronavirus lockdown measures.

Al Saeed told Arabian Business: “For us it’s always going to be the conversation on how to open up tourism in a safe manner. But the decision is not going to be with the Department of Culture and Tourism. We are just a small component of a very big umbrella that needs to make that call.

“But I am optimistic. I’m extremely optimistic. Whether it’s the vaccine coming into play soon enough or we come up with, collectively, a process that works for everybody, that is still not compromising on health and safety.”

Abu Dhabi has been recognised globally for its approach to hosting the UFC’s Fight Island as well as the current Return to Fight Island on the emirate’s Yas Island, where a safety ‘bubble’ has been created in order to protect athletes, their entourages, officials, staff and media for the duration of their stay.

Al Saeed revealed that more than 18,000 tests were carried out on 2,000 people in a matter of a month for Fight Island 1, while the current event will see more than 20,000 Covid-19 tests.

However, while that has been a huge success, Al Saeed said such a move would not be considered when welcoming tourists back to the UAE capital.

He said: “I think the focus is going to be more about how do we welcome tourists back into Abu Dhabi, more than it is how do we create more bubbles because, yes bubbles are good because you can kind of control the situation when it comes to Covid-19, but at the end of the day you’re not expanding the entire destination narrative into it and you’re not allowing people to really come and enjoy Abu Dhabi as a tourist.”

It was revealed this week by STR that hotel occupancy range in Abu Dhabi for the week ending September 20 was 60 percent, the highest in the GCC region, while forward occupancy for the90 days from September 21 was standing at 17 percent, slightly higher than neighbouring Dubai and above global cities including Riyadh, Zurich, Paris, London, Sydney and Madrid.

Al Saeed said: “We are ready and we’ve been welcoming visitors from across the land border, but for us as well, nobody knows how this virus is mutating; nobody knows a perfect solution and the answers to all things Covid-19 related. For us to say that this process is guaranteed and fool proof, is not a position we want to put ourselves in.

“What are the incubation periods? Is a test 96 hours before good enough? What happens when they land and get a test, does that mean they are actually negative? All of these things are really question marks that the global community, not just Abu Dhabi, doesn’t really have the right answers to yet and, like I said, health and safety are the priority and we’re not going to compromise on that. We’re not going to jump the gun too soon when it comes to opening up.

“There are a lot of destinations out there right now that are reeling back and going back into partial lockdowns or full lockdowns because they prioritised other aspects of their directional decision-making over health and safety. We have not had to do that.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×