UAE and Israel Launch Travel Corridor
The quarantine-free bubble between the two countries for travelers who have received their vaccine is set to begin in April
The United Arab Emirates and Israel have announced an agreement to form a quarantine-free travel corridor between the two countries for travelers who have received the vaccine against COVID-19.
Government sources say the proposed corridor will be introduced in April. The announcement follows high-level discussions between the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The Israel and the UAE are two of the world’s leaders in COVID-19 vaccination rates, according to the New York Times. Israel has administered more than 9 million doses, covering nearly 60 percent of its population while the UAE has given over 6.3 million doses of the vaccine in a total population of 10 million people.
Following the signing of the Abraham Accords in August 2020, Israelis flocked to the UAE for tourism and business. According to Israeli government data, 130,000 Israeli tourists have visited the UAE to date.
Recently governments around the world have been working to establish bilateral agreements to encourage travel among individuals who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. In February, the government of Israel signed reciprocal travel corridor deals with Cyprus and Greece.
The UAE visa-free travel agreement with Israel was temporarily suspended in January as a result of a spike in COVID-19 cases. UAE low-cost carrier flydubai currently operates direct flights between the two countries, and Etihad Airways will launch its Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv route on March 28.
