A cruise ship forced to dock in Dubai at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic has thanked the city as it prepares to set sail for Europe.
The Aida Prima was touring the Arabian Gulf when firms began suspending operations last month.
The liner sailed to Dubai and the Port Rashid where it has since been looked after by authorities.
Its passengers were flown home and the ship is now due to sail to Europe on Saturday with a skeleton crew.
On Wednesday, as a way of thanking Dubai for their time in the city, staff bid farewell with a personal touch.
The ship’s windows were lit up to spell out the message “shukraan Dubai. We love 2 c u again”.
“Our crew on board is fine,” a spokesman for Aida Cruises said.
“However, they miss their guests and their regular operations.
“They wanted to say a thank you to Dubai and send Easter greetings to the Aida fans.”
The Aida Prima is a 300m liner capable of carrying 3,300 passengers.
Owned by the Carnival Corporation, it was not under quarantine and did not have any coronavirus cases on board.
The Covid-19 pandemic has proved a PR disaster for many operators in the cruise industry.
Some ships have been likened to floating petri dishes after the virus spread to hundreds of passengers.
The Diamond Princess, which is owned by the same parent company as the Aida Prima, was quarantined off Japan after one passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive.
In total, 712 passengers subsequently caught the virus and 12 died.
The UAE suspended cruises operating out of the country last month due to the pandemic.
Dubai has grown to become a major winter cruise destination and welcomed more than 800,000 during the 2018 to 2019 season - about five ships per day.
It is a home winter port for several major liners and a stop-off for many others.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
