‘The world must synchronise’
It’s no secret life has been altered drastically amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the world has had to stay home, immense pressure has been put on the medical sector, jobs have been lost and economies have been impacted hugely across the globe.
While right now it seems unfathomable to look beyond the coming weeks, the chairman of the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, has shared his positive outlook for the future of Dubai and the UAE in an interview with , believing the economy “will be back” once the pandemic clears up.
However, it’s going to take a collaborative effort from countries across the globe as “the world must synchronise its efforts to bring about recovery”, says Sheikh Ahmed. Luckily, due to the “infrastructure” the UAE has, as well as the airlines and hotels, this will give the nation a “jump start”, he added.
“The government’s approach, its quick response, the agility of the healthcare services, co-ordinating with the private sector, has been very positive,” he continued. “The message that you will be attended to – this all means that you are geared because of the facilities that you have.”
As a knock-on effect from the pandemic many notable events have been postponed including the recent Met Gala, the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and the Dubai Expo 2020.
While the outbreak of coronavirus has certainly had a detrimental effect on international travel and tourism Sheikh Ahmed, who is also president of Dubai Civil Aviation and chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and Group, said it’s a situation that has multiple varying factors to keep an eye on.
“You cannot do it yourself; the world and countries need to open up to each other,” he said.
Meanwhile during a recent video conference with the US-UAE Business Council, Emirates President Tim Clark and Etihad CEO Tony Douglas explained that the demand from travellers may not return until 2023.
The pair also shared that without an effective vaccine in place for COVID-19, the way we fly will be very different than many are used to.
It’s a situation where only time will tell.
