Dubai to welcome tourists from July 7 and here’s what they can do

As Dubai prepares to welcome tourists on July 7, families and residents from across the UAE are busy experiencing the diverse attractions and experiences that have reopened in Dubai following a temporary closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top family attractions have been including public and hotel beaches, shopping malls, restaurants, swimming pools and golf courses, as well as the resumption of popular activities like water sports and camping.

In addition to the standard requirements of social distancing and wearing a face mask at all times, the family entertainment destinations, from those providing indoor excitement to outdoor adventures, have also deployed a wide range of other precautionary and preventive measures to safeguard the health of visitors across all customer facing touch-points in their respective facilities and surrounding environments. The attractions have advised visitors to book or buy their tickets online to facilitate contactless entry.

The attractions that have reopened include the following:

Malls in Dubai

All malls in Dubai are open and operating at 100 per capacity. Within the malls, you will also have access to most restaurants and stores, but there are plenty of rules visitors have to follow, including wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and limiting the amount of people inside of the stores.

Tourists can visit malls in Dubai and enjoy some entertainment facilities including movie theatres and light and sound shows, like the Dubai Festival City promenade light show or the Dubai Mall Fountain show, for example. Arcades and children’s play areas remain closed as of now.

Cinemas

Tourists will be happy to hear that they will be able to go to the cinema in Dubai and the cinemas in Dubai are not Cinemas have re-opened across Dubai after months of restrictions in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Now it might seem a bit strange to suggest going to the movies, but actually, the new restrictions set there, make it a very safe place to be. Guidelines include selling tickets only up to a 30 per cent capacity. Temperature checks are required prior to entry, as is wearing a face mask at all times. Tickets should ideally be bought online, while social distancing of 2 metres is necessary inside the theatre. The cinema halls are making sure that seats directly adjacent and in rows above and below are being left vacant. A maximum of four people are allowed to sit together. Otherwise, just go to the Drive-in theatre. It is more expensive, but you have the option of being in your car without touching any outside surfaces.

Restaurants

Many restaurants in the city are open, yet maintaining social distancing measures. Whether you opt for high end options like Zuma, LPM Restaurant and Bar, casual eateries like Taikun Dubai, Shake Shack and or cafes like Boston Lane, Depresso or Around the Block, just to name a few.

Make sure you call ahead and book a table to avoid disappointment, as some restaurants can only seat you with a reservation, while others are still closed.

Hotels

Many hotels in the city are open and offering incredible hotel summer deals. Make sure you take advantage of these deals, as some five star properties are priced at under Dh500 a night. Choose from the Palazzo Versace Dubai in Al Jaddaf, what this hotel lacks in a beach, it more than makes up for with its beautiful pools and interior design. Otherwise, go for a beach front property like the Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah or the Jumeirah Al Naseem.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and The Burj Club

Emaar Entertainment is welcoming guests to three of its most prominent destinations: At the Top - Burj Khalifa, Dubai Aquarium and The Burj Club following the reopening of these attractions under mandatory precautionary measures to help safeguard visitors and staff. From now until July 31, if you go to see movie at Reel Cinemas, you will be entitled to 50 per cent off at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and At the Top – Burj Khalifa Levels 124 and 125.

Atlantis Aquaventure

Dubai’s sun-lovers and adventure-seekers can get ready for some extreme sliding and gravity-defying tubing at this popular waterpark at Atlantis – The Palm, from Dh99 for children and Dh119 for adults. From Thursday to Sunday, guests can once again enjoy all of the water-based experiences the ocean-themed resort has to offer with amazing discounts of up to 50 per cent off with access to the experiences at Dolphin Bay, Sea Lion Point and The Lost Chambers Aquarium, as well as snorkeling and diving at The Ambassador Lagoon.

Guests staying at the resort from Thursday-Sunday will receive daily unlimited complimentary access to the park as part of their weekend room price, from Dh649. Based on government guidelines Atlantis Aquaventure will be operating at a 50 per cent reduced capacity, and all guests who are not staying in the hotel must purchase tickets in advance of their arrival, as tickets will not be available to buy at the gate. In addition, individually wrapped towels will be provided and changing rooms and lockers will be limited.

Ski Dubai, Dreamscape and Magic Planet

The iconic Ski Dubai, the world’s largest indoor ski slope, along with entertainment destinations Dreamscape and Magic Planet, all under UAE’s retail conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), have reopened with a set of health and safety guidelines that visitors must strictly follow. At MAF’s leisure and entertainment locations, surfaces will be cleaned and sanitised after every guest interaction while it is mandatory for employees to wear masks and gloves.

Dubai Dolphinarium

Dubai Dolphinarium, the indoor entertainment destination at Creek Park that offers its visitors the opportunity to watch dolphins and seals running, playing ball, and jumping through the hoops, is running a promotion featuring discounted ticket prices. Entry for adults is Dh70 dirhams, and for children it’s Dh40. Dubai Dolphinarium is the first fully air-conditioned indoor dolphinarium in the Middle East, providing habitat to dolphins and seals and allowing the public to watch and interact with them through live shows and photo sessions.

The Green Planet

While you can explore and interact with a whole new world of exotic flora and fauna at The Green Planet, this fully immersive indoor vertical rain-forest at City Walk is now offering a free breakfast or lunch with every entry ticket at its rainforest-themed Green Planet Café. Open from Monday to Thursday from 10am until 6pm, visitors can choose from a range of breakfast and lunch options.You can also avail of a 20 per cent discount for certain experiences. As part of the health and safety regime adopted at The Green Planet, cleaning and disinfection are conducted before the facility opens and at an hourly interval.

Dubai museums

Heritage and culture enthusiasts can now make a beeline to the various Dubai museums operated by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority that have started reopening gradually since the beginning of this month. The first museums to open their doors were Al Shindagha Museum, followed by Etihad Museum on Jumeirah beach road. If you’re more into the modern art, check out the Jameel Arts Centre

Preventive measures have been deployed to ensure the wellbeing of visitors and museum employees, who will have to wear face masks and have their temperatures checked before they enter the premises. They will need to abide by social distancing rules and the museum will also have sterilisation routines. Each museum will welcome only 50 per cent of its visitor capacity for safety reasons while group visits will be restricted to five people each and no events or celebrations will be allowed to take place.

In opening their doors once again the various attractions have made the health and safety of their visitors the top priority by adopting a range of precautionary measures, while providing the kind of unique experiences that have helped make Dubai the fourth most visited city in the world, according to the annual MasterCard’s Global Destination Cities Index. Dubai has now set its sights on further enhancing its position as the destination of choice for international travellers in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make it the #1 most visited, preferred and revisited global city.

Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “As Dubai has reopened, we will reinforce our commitment to not only provide residents and visitors a well-rounded destination experience but also ensure their health and safety remains our key priority. With the initial focus being on reviving demand for domestic tourism, Dubai’s travel and hospitality sectors are now eagerly waiting to welcome visitors from the wider international market, starting from 7 July. Dubai Tourism is also continuing to work closely with the city’s network of stakeholders across the public and private sectors, and its partners overseas to provide people from around the world the opportunity to enjoy the wide diversity of offerings in one of the world’s safest destinations.”