AFP
Dubai - October 21 to be holiday for both public and private sectors to mark Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) birthday
Zurich, Vienna and London are the top three most popular destinations for UAE residents travelling to major European cities for vacations.
According to online travel marketplace Wego, Zurich accounted for 5.5 per cent of searches in the third quarter of 2021, followed by 5.38 per cent of searches for Vienna.
London accounted for 4.44 per cent of European city searches in the third quarter of 2021. The country has recently announced the scrapping of the current system of red, amber and green countries based on levels of Covid-19.
The UK recognises vaccines approved in the UAE for entry and travel. The vaccination programme in the UAE has also been approved. This would mean that fully vaccinated residents in the Emirates can now travel to London without needing to quarantine.
Coming in the fourth position is Athens, which makes up 3.77 per cent of European city searches on Wego.
Milan, Italy’s second-largest city, accounted for about 3.64 per cent of searches in the 3rd quarter of 2021.
Ranking sixth on the list is Swiss city Geneva, making up 3.04 per cent of searches.
Despite being an expensive city, Geneva seems to have captured the fancy of UAE travellers.
Switzerland is now open for any traveller with a valid visa, allowing fully vaccinated passengers to skip post-arrival quarantine, making it a sought after place amongst UAE travellers.
The reopening of borders in France, especially to vaccinated UAE travellers, has once again sparked interest towards Paris after a brief hiatus of travel restrictions.
The Austrian city of Salzburg stands 8th on this list, amassing more than 2.5 per cent of the European city searches.
Ranking ninth on the list is Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands.
Barcelona makes up 1.9 per cent of European city searches. Spain’s cosmopolitan city is also open for most travellers from the UAE, especially for vaccinated travellers.
-waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com
Waheed Abbas is Assistant Editor, covering real estate, aviation and other business stories that directly affect the lives of UAE consumers. He frequently reports human interest stories, too.