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While other tourist destinations apply restrictions to control the health crisis, the Gulf emirate vibrates with the bustle

of trendy bars

and Instagram is filled with photos of

skyscrapers

or the desert.

"I'm not afraid here. Look, everyone wears a mask," says Dimitri Melnikov, a 30-year-old Russian tourist.

Since the beginning of the crisis, the authorities in

Dubai

have boasted of having controlled the pandemic, thanks to new technologies and

high fines

to discourage people from not wearing a mask.

Physical distancing is also imposed in public places.

Upon arrival, tourists must submit a

recent

negative PCR test

and / or undergo one at Dubai Airport.

There are no specific statistics on infections in Dubai, which, with around 2.9 million inhabitants, is one of the seven principalities that make up the United Arab Emirates.

Nationwide, the daily number of infections, about 3,400, has almost doubled since January 1.

Tourist at the Burj Khalifa lookout point.

In total, the country, which has launched a

vaccination campaign,

has officially registered more than 253,000 cases, of which 745 fatal, for a population of about 10 million inhabitants.

PROTECTION, A PRIORITY

In the historical district of

Al Fahidi,

many tourists, wearing masks, stroll through the alleys and take pictures of the stone buildings on the edge of the canal, reminiscent of the Dubai of yesteryear.

There are cans of hydroalcohol everywhere and the banners warn of anti-coronavirus measures.

Protecting the population is a priority, says Naser Jomaa ben Suleiman, head of the district.

"The number of tourists has been limited to 20 per guide instead of 100 to reduce attendance," he explains.

"I feel safer here than in the

United States

because I believe that people respect the use of a mask and physical distancing more," says Andi Pitman, an American who came to Dubai to spend five weeks with her family.

"We have young children who need to go out and see the world, so we are willing to take the risk," he says.

Narrow street in the historic district of Al Fahidi.

Sophia Amouch, 24, arrived from

France

for a two-week vacation that she decided to extend to spend a month in the emirate, where "everything possible is done to avoid contacts."

"The pandemic in Dubai is managed much better than in Paris," he estimates.

Currently France, the most visited country in the world, imposes a night curfew and exceptional measures on travelers to try to stop the arrival of new mutations of the coronavirus.

LEADING DESTINATION

The

tourism

is one of the pillars of the economy of Dubai, which received 16 million visitors in 2019 and before the pandemic bet to reach 20 million by 2020. Poor oil but with the economy more diversified in the Gulf, the emirate reopened its doors to tourists last July, after a period of

strict confinement.

"Dubai appears to be positioning itself as the destination of choice for those who want to escape confinement," observes Scott Livermore, chief economist at Oxford Economics Middle East, a British think tank.

According to him, this "growth strategy", if successful, will have a positive impact on the organization next fall of the

World's Fair

that the emirate, which has spent 8.2 billion dollars (6.8 billion euros) on this event, had to postpone in 2020.

Emirates Passenger Safety Kit.

But the bet is risky, estimates the specialist, because a second wave of covid-19 would undermine this strategy.

To get ahead, the emirate must remain "open and connected, but above all maintain control over covid-19," adds Livermore.

Meanwhile

Emirates

, the Dubai airline and the largest in the Middle East, has resumed much of its links around the world.

The Dubai airport received, according to official statistics, half a million travelers during the first week of January.

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