Dubai hotel offering big discounts to vaccinated guests

It’s one of a handful of businesses offering discounts to vaccinated customers

The fire pit at Bab al Shams (https://babalshams.com)

A Dubai hotel is offering big discounts for customers vaccinated against Covid-19, in an effort to drive tourism amid the pandemic.

The luxury Bab Al Shams Desert Resort, around an hour’s drive into the desert south of Dubai, is offering 25 per cent off hotel and restaurants to residents who have been vaccinated.

“We hope this move will incentivise people who are making the decision to get vaccinated and show our support for those who have taken the jab,” said Ziad Sleiman, hotel manager of Bab Al Shams Desert Resort.

The resort, which calls itself “a spectacular desert paradise” that is “nestled among the dunes”, is a popular getaway for well-heeled Dubai residents. Its desert setting hosts wildlife including gazelles, geckos and birds.

The emirate is trying to fight the pandemic without closing its doors completely. Last week, Dubai halted all live entertainment in hotels and restaurants as its hospitals dealt with an influx of Covid-19 patients.

Many leisure businesses in the emirate, one of seven in the United Arab Emirates, are offering discounts to residents who have been vaccinated.

Earlier this week, restaurants in Dubai started offering money off for customers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Under the tagline “Spread love, not Rona”, restaurants that are part of the local Gates Hospitality Group are giving a 10 per cent discount for residents who have the first dose and 20 per cent off for the second dose.

The UAE says it has already vaccinated around 2.5 million of its population of 10 million. It has approved Chinese vaccination Sinopharm and the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.

Tourism is an essential part of Dubai’s economy, and British visitors are one of the largest groups of visitors. In normal times, around 1.5 million Brits visit the United Arab Emirates every year, with most gravitating towards Dubai, its main tourist hub.