Multiple-entry visas to boost Dubai tourism

Recent regulatory changes to the UAE’s visa system will have a transformative effect on Dubai’s cruise sector and further boost medical tourism in the emirate.

A new ruling in the UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 22 of 2014 which took effect on August 1, 2014, will ensure implementation of a new visa and fees system.

Amendments include a new multiple entry tourism permit for cruise passengers and a range of new entry permits for medical tourists and their companions. The ruling was signed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

These visa options will make travel between UAE and visiting nearby countries easier for travellers who need to make multiple stops whether by air, land or sea.

The new multiple entry tourism permit for cruise passengers at just Dh200 ($50) will now make their travel more cost effective and logistically more convenient with particular impact on a number of key markets for which previous regulations made the cost significantly higher, including India, China, Russia & CIS, South Africa, and Brazil.

Hamad bin Mejren, Executive Director of Business Tourism at Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said: “This positive announcement of the new visa system will have an encouraging impact on the attractiveness of Dubai as a destination for those overseas visitors who plan on travelling in and out of the UAE – for example on a cruise ship, or by taking a short break into neighbouring Oman and Saudi Arabia.