Qatar emerges as stopover destination for stranded expats

Qatar emerges as stopover destination for stranded expats

Many UAE residents stranded in their home countries are increasingly looking at Qatar and Ethiopia as quarantine stopover destinations to return to the UAE. Till now, many stranded UAE residents in the Indian subcontinent and other red-list countries, have been flying to Balkan countries, southern Europe, and Russia to spend 14 days there, before hopping on to a flight to the UAE. Ethiopia, too, has been a favourite lately. However, since July 12, after Qatar announced changes to its travel and quarantine policy, UAE residents have been increasingly looking at the Doha option. Travel agents both in India and the UAE maintained that enquiries and bookings for package trips to Dubai via Qatar have surged in the past couple of weeks. "We've been flooded with enquiries from people who want to travel to the UAE via Qatar," said Debashis Dey of Asra Travels, who runs a travel and tour company in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. "Indian nationals who have UAE residency get a 30-day pre-approved visa-on-arrival in Qatar. They have to show proof of a 14-day hotel booking and also need to undergo a PCR test on arrival," he added. Qatar, which is just an hour-long flight away from the