Demanding governments to exempt travelers who have received a vaccine or a negative examination result from travel restrictions

IATA: Continuous growth of the aviation and travel sector in the UAE during the coming period

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that the aviation and travel sector in the UAE will witness continuous growth during the coming period, especially during the last quarter of this year, which is witnessing many international events and events that attract large numbers of visitors at the international level, most notably the exhibition Expo 2020 Dubai and the Dubai Air Show continue to ease international restrictions on travel and tourism, and reopen many destinations.

He demanded, through "Emirates Today", that travelers who have received the vaccine, or a negative PCR test result, be exempted from the restrictions imposed, which helps in the recovery of the travel and tourism sectors, and also called on governments to make decisions based on "data" not on "data". Fear” to manage the risks of “Covid-19” regarding the opening of borders.

He said that the UAE's decision to open visas for all recipients of the anti-Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine confirms the country's flexibility in dealing with various crises and finding alternative solutions, calling on the rest of the region to follow this policy, similar to the UAE, to accelerate the recovery of the tourism and travel sectors. in the countries of the region.

International visitors

IATA's Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, Kamel Al-Awadi, confirmed to "Emirates Today" that there are expectations that the UAE will receive millions of visitors during the Expo 2020 Dubai, pointing out that according to previous studies conducted by many For companies, the exhibition is expected to witness a large international presence, due to several factors, including hosting it for the first time in the Middle East, and the advanced infrastructure of Dubai, which contributed to facing the global “Covid-19” pandemic, as well as developing a distinct gradual approach to re-run Opening the borders of the emirate to international visitors, it was one of the first countries in this field.

He explained that Expos usually attract many projects and companies that would revitalize the economic movement of the host country.

He stated that the UAE was one of the first countries in the region to respond quickly to the repercussions of the "Covid-19" pandemic by launching a set of measures that guarantee the health and safety of all travelers, especially since the country's airports are the busiest in the world.

State flexibility

Al-Awadi added that the UAE's decision to open visas for all recipients of the anti-Coronavirus (Covid 19) vaccine from various countries of the world confirms the country's flexibility in dealing with various crises, and finding alternative solutions that primarily guarantee the health and safety of its visitors and residents. .

He stressed that the decision accelerates the recovery pace of the tourism and travel sectors in the country, calling on the rest of the region to follow this policy, similar to the UAE, to accelerate the recovery of the tourism and travel sectors in the countries of the region, as they are among the main pillars of the economies of the countries of the region in general.

Al-Awadi pointed out that Abu Dhabi’s decision to cancel the quarantine, after more than a year and a half of its implementation, will necessarily contribute to a tangible recovery in the tourism and travel sectors, which will be reflected in the numbers of travelers to Abu Dhabi during the coming period, and on the residents of the emirate wishing to take a vacation outside the country alike. .

IATA document

Al-Awadi said that "Emirates Airlines" and "Etihad Airways" are among the first airlines in the world to test the application of the "IATA" electronic document for the traveler.

He explained that the document allows travelers to create a “digital passport” that allows them, before traveling, to verify that the criteria for “Corona” examinations or the vaccine they obtained comply with the requirements of the travel destination, as well as sharing approved examination or vaccine certificates with government agencies and airlines, to provide a more experience. Ease of travel.

He stressed that the application provides the ease of managing all digital documents related to travel smoothly and flexibly, and also provides access to all information and travel requirements imposed by all destinations accurately, regardless of the point of departure, and also includes a guide on Corona examination centers and approved vaccination centers, including It makes it even easier to find these centers from the point of departure of travelers, to meet the screening criteria and vaccination requirements of their intended destination.

"Contactless Travel"

Al-Awadi stated that with the spread of digital health applications, the IATA travel document is unique in that it is a developed application from the inputs of the sector, which can be integrated into the applications and processes of airlines, based on open standards, so that the standards, network or customers are not owned by the standards, network or dealers. , to any of the parties, through decentralized technology, in addition to ensuring the highest levels of data security and privacy for travelers.

He stressed that the IATA travel document remains an important enabling factor in "contactless travel", even when the need to verify "Covid-19" information eventually disappears, and the epidemic recedes, as the document allows the possibility of completing contactless travel procedures comfortably. From check-in, to boarding the plane.

Government cooperation

IATA's Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East stressed that the recovery of international travel needs the cooperation of governments to restore freedom of travel, including opening borders, lifting travel restrictions, and setting clear plans and timetables to restart the sector, in coordination with the concerned parties. in the sector.

He called for exempting travelers who have received the vaccine, or a negative PCR test result, from the restrictions imposed, as an initial step, which helps accelerate the resumption of global flights and the recovery of the travel and tourism sectors.

Al-Awadi also called on governments to make data-driven decisions to manage the risks of “Covid-19” with regard to opening borders, and not based on fear.

He said that among the elements that negatively affect recovery and travel demand, are the high cost of PCR checks, quarantine, and waiting times at airports in some countries, due to paperwork.

rebound in july

Kamel Al-Awadi, Regional Vice President of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for Africa and the Middle East, confirmed that the data issued showed that passenger traffic recorded a recovery at the global level during July 2021, compared to the previous months.

He added that these results reflect the world's desire to travel again during the summer season, pointing out that the demand is still much lower than the levels of the year 2019 or before the emergence of "Corona", as it recorded in July 26.4% of the levels of the same month in 2019.

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