Dubai: Chinese residents on Sunday welcomed the UAE’s move to grant Chinese tourists visas on arrival.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday announced that Chinese tourists will no longer need to secure visas before they travel to the UAE.
The UAE, particularly Dubai, has replaced Singapore and Thailand as the “it” destination for Chinese tourists and this is evident in the massive Chinese tourist arrivals in the emirate, according to Chinese officials.
In April 2014, Dubai witnessed what is believed to be its largest Chinese tourist contingent where around 16,000 employees from one company came to visit. The group was flown to Dubai in batches on 77 flights, including two chartered trips organised by Emirates airline.
The city watched in awe as the group booked 40 exotic limousines along with 250 buses to transport the group in batches. They also booked 409 tourist guides and filled 39,514 rooms in 40 hotels.
With this new development, Kevin Hsu, a businessman based in Dubai, said more Chinese tourists will be encouraged to visit the UAE.
“That’s fantastic news. It’s very good for us as it will be more convenient for Chinese tourists to visit the UAE,” Hsu told Gulf News. “Chinese nationals are increasingly having disposable income for travel purposes.”
“Too bad I’ve already applied for the visas of my visitors coming to Dubai this month. In the future, there’s no need for that.”
The decision will also help boost business relations, Captain Wang Song, chairman of the Chinese Business Council, said.
“There are some tourists who come here and when they like the place and the business environment, they decide to come back to set up business here. You know, some businessmen do not have the time to wait for their visas to be processed. This will be very helpful to them. They can just get their passports, book their flights and that’s it,” Song told Gulf News.
Shabaz Ahmad, in-charge of the Visa Department at Golden Ocean Travels, said the peak season for Chinese tourists visiting the UAE starts in September and runs until March. Many more travel to Dubai during the Chinese New Year.
Ahmad said their travel agency, which also has an office in China, processes up to 300 Chinese tourist visa applications every month. Chinese tourists usually take full tour packages, and those with deeper pockets book their holidays at more expensive hotels like Burj Al Arab.
