Dubai: Some Dubai hotels have introduced the concept of a day-pass for residents to access the beach, but this seems to be in direct conflict with recent guidelines issued by Dubai Tourism.
Dubai Tourism recently eased some of the coronavirus restrictions for hotels in Dubai by allowing hotel beaches to open. But the set of guidelines that must be followed mandates that you can only access the beach if you are a hotel guest, staying at the hotel overnight. The hotel cannot sell beach-access tickets to anyone, who isn’t an in-house guest.
In a surprise move, however, some hotels in Dubai are now inviting residents to enjoy a luxury “daycation” with beach access, signature lunch and a hotel room that can be used for a day. One such hotel says, “The day pass lets you soak up the sun under the exotic palm trees and take a dip in azure waters of the Arabian Gulf.”
While the launch of this offer has received great response from some residents, others feel daycations do not allow for proper sanitation of rooms between swapping guests.
The Dubai Tourism rules of beach access do not include renting a room for a day to have access to the beach as a “guest”. Officials from Dubai Tourism confirmed that no day pass is allowed, and beach access can only be for in-house guests, which they agreed was for staycation or a long stay.
A Dubai Tourism official told Gulf News, “No day pass is allowed, beach access is only for in-house guests,” before referring us to the Dubai Tourism guidelines.
The offer of the daycation advertised on the website of one of the hotels in Dubai talks about a relaxing day out, complete with a private hotel room, access to the beautiful white-sand beach, and a set menu. The day pass can be used from 10am to 7pm daily and comes at the cost of Dh395 per person (excluding taxes and fees) based on a minimum of two people. Those looking to continue their “daycation” into the evening will receive a complimentary room extension to 10pm.
As per government directives, hotels need to strictly abide by the social distancing measures, operating at prescribed occupancy percentages with temperature checks on arrival, placing sun beds two metres apart and ensuring all guests wear masks when transiting in public areas.
