It is likely that Dubai could start opening up for tourists at the beginning of July, after the emirate stopped most arrivals in March, to contain the coronavirus pandemic, Bloomberg has reported.

The process will be gradual and could be delayed until September, depending on global trends, Helal Al Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday.

“Many countries remain closed and it’s more about the bilateral discussions,” Al Marri said. “Is it going to be July when things start slowly opening up? Is it going to be September? We just need to make sure we’re ready if things come earlier than expected.”

The UAE has so far confirmed 10,839 cases of COVID-19 and 82 deaths. Last week Dubai eased restrictions on lockdown travel and allowed commercial and activities to restart. The decision allowed people to move freely between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Tourism is an important source of revenue for Dubai. The emirate received 16.7 million tourists last year.

(Writing by Seban Scaria; Editing by Daniel Luiz)

(seban.scaria@refinitiv.com)

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