Dubai used the epidemic to attract new customers of affluent foreigners, Note Financial Times. Thus, according to Helal al-Marri, Director General of the Dubai Tourism and Commercial Marketing Department (D.T.C.M.), New visas are reserved for long-distance workers Has aroused the interest of tens of thousands of applicants. He explains:

While most countries impose travel restrictions, we have sought to facilitate international travel while adjusting health regulations to ensure maximum safety. ”

Neither its reputation as an authoritarian state nor the human rights abuses that the Emirate routinely accuses of are encouraging these new foreigners to be active, especially in areas of new technologies or cryptocurrencies.

The United States reopened its borders very quickly

Advance betting is not won. “Many fear Dubai’s future as epidemic spreads around the world”, Recalled reporter Simon Kerr Financial Times In the Gulf. But Abu Dhabi, whose economy was backed by oil and kept its borders closed (forcing foreign visitors to wear isolated electronic bracelets), chose to reopen Dubai-tourism-boundaries soon. Fall 2020. Success was immediate:

Despite the departure of white-collar foreigners and less talented immigrants in the summer [2020], When they were hundreds of thousands who lost their jobs, the city was revived in the fall. Members of the world elite have come to get vaccinated, playing in their relationships to escape the queue. Others have been vaccinated as part of plans to encourage long-distance workers to come to Dubai to escape the locks. ”

The success of the vaccine campaign

At Christmas, Dubai – one of the few tourist hotspots where life was normal – became a global meeting place for people who wanted to party. At risk, the tide of infections continued in January, but the particularly activated vaccination campaign quickly eased the pressure on hospitals, reducing the number of serious cases. “By the end of May, almost three-quarters of the population had been fully vaccinated, mainly with the synoform vaccine produced in China.”

Although the Emirate is still on the “red list” of many countries, Dubai has been able to maintain its reputation as a particularly safe tourist and business destination, including one of its key partners, the United Kingdom. There are no signs of an impending change in strategy: the emirate is clearly counting on the new arrival of qualified foreigners to ensure its economic recovery. The on-site investment banker summarizes the situation:

Dubai has always wanted to be the Monaco of the Middle East. Thanks to the health crisis, he is not far from his goal now. ”

Source

Founded in 1888 under the name London Financial Guide, The purpose of the four-page magazine “For Honest Investors and Respected Brokers”, The Financial Times Today is the financial and economic daily

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