Dubai: UK-based travel and hospitality companies are expected to show stronger interest in travellers from the UAE, Oman and Qatar following the lifting of the United Kingdom (UK) visa requirement, according to a statement on Monday by Reed Travel Exhibitions, the organiser of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), a major travel trade event in the region.
“Lifting the visa requirements will allow for increased travel opportunities benefiting numerous sectors such as travel, hospitality, retail and entertainment,” said Debrah Dhugga, general manager of Dukes London, a luxury boutique hotel, in the statement.
Nationals of the three Gulf countries will be able to visit the UK for six months without a pre-entry visa starting from the first quarter of 2014. The decision came from the British government in November. Applicants will need to file an electronic visa waiver (EVW).
VisitBritain, the national tourism agency for the UK, expects UAE tourists in Britain to increase by up to 40 per cent in 2020.
ATM 2014 participation
“Following the announcement, we have already received a number of enquiries from UK-based companies eager to capitalise on the opportunity with first-time presence at ATM 2014, and we expect increased participation from a diverse cross-section of tourism and hospitality companies representing the UK as well,” Mark Walsh, director at Reed Travel Exhibitions, said in the statement. The event will run from May 5-8, 2014.
Travel agencies and airlines in the UAE are boosting their efforts to promote travel to the UK, according to Walsh.
For instance, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways and VisitBritain recently signed a partnership agreement valued at Dh12 million to increase the number of visitors from the Middle East and Asia Pacific to Britain through joint marketing activities.
The deal follows an agreement with Emirates Airline to promote the UK through its network, and a marketing campaign launched with Qatar Airways across malls in Saudi Arabia.
Shorter stays
Kulwant Singh, managing director at Lama Tours, a tour operator, told Gulf News it will promote shorter stays in the UK once the visa-free travel is effective. “We are looking at shorter stays — three nights — for UAE travellers visiting the UK,” he said.
Britain welcomed 530,000 visitors from the GCC in 2012, up 6 per cent on 2011, according to data by VisitBritain. The UK is the second most visited destination by UAE residents.
Overseas tourism contributed $30.46 billion to the British economy last year, of which $1.97 billion came from GCC countries. GCC visitors spend an average of $3,417 per person per visit.
