Etihad Airways has issued a reminder that to travellers that Abu Dhabi is not currently open for tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Per , an email was reportedly issued to companies and partners it works with to reiterate the UAE’s capital is not yet open to tourists and visitors.
At present, only those with valid UAE residency visas are permitted to enter Abu Dhabi.
“All other types: Dubai-issued tourist visas and others will not be permitted entry,” the airline stated.
There is, however, one exception which is for a 96-hour transit visa for shipping crews.
Back in March, the entirety of the UAE closed its borders due to the global pandemic, which left many UAE residents and citizens stranded abroad.
Since then, flights have slowly begun to be relaunched as restrictions eased.
While Abu Dhabi hasn’t officially reopened its borders to tourists, Dubai opened its borders to visitors last month on July 7.
This has had a positive effect on the emirate’s tourism sector, the Director-General of Dubai Tourism, Helal Saeed Almarri, in a recent interview.
He said that since the reopening of the borders they have “been greatly encouraged by the market’s response in the second phase of our recovery strategy”.
“People are much more optimistic and well-informed now and are ready to go on holidays to destinations that are safe and have put in place strong health and safety protocols,” he added.
