ATM 2021: Light at the end of the Covid-19 travel tunnel, says Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday said there was light at the end of the tunnel for global tourism.

Sheikh Mohammed said Dubai hosting the "mega-tourism event", Arabian Travel Market, showed how the industry was surging back after Covid-19.

More than 60 countries took part on Sunday, the start of the four-day conference, which is the first in-person international travel and tourism event since the onset of the pandemic.

"Dubai welcomes the world as global tourism begins to recover, representing the light at the end of the tunnel," Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.

The first day of the event saw big developments in how the UAE will handle the next stages as global travel slowly returns.

Abu Dhabi announced that it intended to drop quarantine requirements for most countries from July.

"Abu Dhabi will be open for everyone with no quarantine protocol, starting from July 1," Ali Al Shaiba, executive director of tourism and marketing at the emirate's Department of Culture and Tourism, told The National.

“We are going to welcome everybody to Abu Dhabi with a different protocol but no quarantine.”

Ras Al Khaimah said it would spend Dh500 million ($136.14m) on 20 sustainable tourism destinations as it taps into global demand for ecotourism.

Investments made in partnership with RAK Hospitality Holding and the emirate's Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be made over the next 24 months, significantly increasing the number of hotel rooms in the emirate, said Raki Phillips, chief executive of RAK Tourism Development Authority.