Travel agents in the UAE have welcomed the move by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) to provide more Indian nationals with visas on arrival in the country.
“We are expecting our business to go up by at least 15 to 17 per cent with this move,” said Praveen Chawdhary from Saffron Travel and Tourism.
“People who usually travel to the EU or the UK from India often prefer to transit through the UAE. Now that they have the option to get visa on arrival, most travellers will choose to spend at least one or two extra days here and explore the UAE before continuing with the journey.”
According to the rules announced on Thursday, Indian nationals who hold tourist visas to the UK and EU countries will be able to get a visa on arrival. Previously, this was available only to those who hold residence or tourist visas to the US, as well as those with residencies in the UK and the EU.
Safeer Mahamood, general manager at Smart Travels, is also expecting a spike in travel demand among Indian tourists.
“We are expecting the demand for our services to increase by at least 10 to 15 percent, especially among transit passengers,” he said.
“It comes at a great time, too, with the peak travel season falling between November and March. There are several groups of people who will be flying to Europe to visit their families. Now, these people will choose to transit through the UAE and stay here for a day or two.”
Perfect time
For Indian tourist Ibrahim Babu, the move comes at a “perfect time”. He and his wife are planning to travel to Italy in April to attend their son’s graduation. With this new rule, they will now be able to conveniently break up a long-haul flight and spend some time with their family in the UAE.
“My sister lives in Dubai and she has been asking me to transit through the UAE on our way back to India from Italy,” he said. “However, I didn’t want to take the additional hassle of getting the visit visa, so I refused. Today, as soon as the news came out, she messaged me. Since it’s visa-on-arrival, my wife and I are seriously considering spending a week in Dubai. It is definitely a good move that has come at the perfect time for me.”
Transiting through the UAE
UAE stopovers are “extremely popular” among Indian travellers, Safeer said,
“From November to March, we usually arrange tour packages for at least 50 families per month. They would transit through Dubai before or after their trip to the EU or the UK,” he said. “This number of bookings will increase with the new rules.”
Praveen said the visa-on-arrival option for those holding US tourist and residency visas is extremely popular, too. “In the last month, we alone have seen close to 60 Indian families who have chosen to transit through the UAE and spend some time here during their trip to the US,” he said.
“Earlier, Etihad Airways even had an offer which allowed people to take a journey break in the UAE when flying to or from the US. That was also extremely popular. I commend the government’s decision to expand the scope of this programme as it will definitely bring in more tourists to the country.”
