Abu Dhabi’s visa-fee waiver for Indian tourists is getting an encouraging early response, with travel bookings already picking up ahead of the Diwali season, Khaleej Times reported quoting a senior tourism official.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) launched the pilot programme after identifying travel costs as a bigger deterrent for Indian tourists than visa processing itself. Rising airfares and the weakening rupee have made overseas holidays more expensive for Indian households this year.
Under the initiative, Indian passport holders travelling from India can obtain a UAE entry visa free of charge when booking an Abu Dhabi holiday of at least three nights.
The pilot, which began on August 1, will run until October 31, and initially covers up to 20,000 visas.
Abdulla Yousuf, director of international operations at DCT Abu Dhabi, said the initial response had been encouraging, although it was too early to assess the programme's full impact.
Travel partners have already reported bookings under the scheme, including interest from tourists planning their trips around Diwali. Some travellers are also considering longer stays to cover the festival period.
DCT Abu Dhabi selected partners primarily from business-to-consumer channels to ensure that the offer reaches travellers directly.
Several other Indian travel companies have also expressed interest in joining the programme. However, the tourism authority plans to assess the pilot before deciding whether to expand it.
The visa waiver followed consultations with Indian travel-industry partners during a senior DCT Abu Dhabi delegation's visit in May.
While partners pointed to expensive airfares and the weaker rupee as the biggest pressures on travel budgets, they identified the visa fee as one area where Abu Dhabi could make an immediate difference.
The move is therefore aimed less at solving the broader affordability problem and more at removing one additional cost from the holiday package.
For Indian travellers, the benefit could be particularly relevant during the peak festive travel season, when demand for short international breaks typically rises.
India continues to be one of Abu Dhabi's most important international tourism markets, alongside China and Russia.
Indian tourist arrivals are currently about 10 percent lower year-on-year, with the decline linked partly to the initial impact of the regional conflict. DCT Abu Dhabi, however, expects the Indian market to recover and surpass last year's full-year numbers within the coming months.
The emirate is also looking to address an information gap among Indian travellers.
Many Indians holding valid US, UK or European visas may already qualify for visa-on-arrival facilities in the UAE, but may not be aware of the provision. DCT Abu Dhabi plans to step up communication around this facility.
The visa waiver comes at a time when international travel from India is facing a combination of higher airfares and currency depreciation.
A weaker rupee increases the cost of accommodation, food, shopping and other overseas expenses, while expensive flights can significantly raise the total cost of a holiday even before travellers reach their destination.
For Abu Dhabi, removing the visa fee is consequently a targeted attempt to make its packages more competitive rather than a complete solution to the affordability challenge.
If the pilot succeeds in generating additional bookings, particularly during Diwali and other peak travel periods, DCT Abu Dhabi could consider extending the programme to more travel partners and potentially widening its reach among Indian tourists.
