Photos: Desert safaris and tourist activities return to Sharjah

Tourists at Al Nazwa desert in Sharjah, as Sharjah reopens tourism activity. Desert safari tours have resumed in Sharjah while following COVID-19 precautions, as part of a wider plan to restart all tourism activities, it was announced last week.

Tourists capture the sunset at Al Nazwa desert in Sharjah.

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) announced the resumption of desert tours and related activities in the emirate under strict precautionary measures.

SCTDA chairman Khalid Jasim Al Midfa said: “We continue to work closely with all concerned entities to intensify our joint efforts to maintain public health and safety as we take new steps to launch and implement various major initiatives aimed at enabling the recovery of the tourism sector from the repercussions of the pandemic and revive growth.

Tourists on a camel ride at Al Nazwa desert in Sharjah.

We are implementing a strict schedule of inspection of establishments and activities through regular field visits under the supervision of an integrated team of SCTDA inspectors to ensure the issued precautionary measures are being followed and limit the spread of COVID-19.”

The two guides contain a set of general guidelines, including exemptions, such as people with any type of chronic diseases or respiratory diseases as per Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) instructions.

Tourists on a powered hang glider seen at Al Nazwa desert in Sharjah.

SCTDA has launched a guide for COVID-19 precautionary measures for the return of desert safaris and a guide for Sharjah tour operators.

There are also guidelines on vehicle capacity, social distancing procedures, number of participants within groups, among others.

Several requirements have been set during the tours. The number of passengers should not exceed the vehicle’s capacity and a distance of at least two meters must be maintained between people.

In addition, signboards must be placed around the vehicle reminding passengers to avoid crowding or gathering in one area and urging them to adhere to health and safety measures.

Tour operators are also required to provide a reservation system that enables health authorities to collect information to help trace contacts if necessary, including tour details, sites to be visited, times and dates, contact details for all tourists, in addition to adopting electronic payment methods and following all possible methods to maintain hygiene in tourism facilities, vehicles, equipment, etc.

The decision to resume tourism and desert tours was made after requesting the involved companies to implement the measures needed to be able to resume operations, such as equipping reception desks with plastic or glass partitions with minimal openings to accept payment transactions and facilitate the use of credit cards, as well as regularly conducting sterilisation within the premises.

This latest decision comes as part of the efforts to resume the tourism activities in the emirate at a normal pace.