Despite assurances that hotel stays in Dubai would be extended at no cost, Polish tourists say they are being forced to leave their hotels. This is according to correspondence sent to the Polish Embassy in the United Arab Emirates, obtained by the portal Niezalezna.pl. A Polish citizen asked the diplomatic mission for assistance but was ultimately referred to an Emirati government institution.
On March 2, the Polish Embassy in Abu Dhabi issued a statement addressed to Poles staying in Dubai.
“The Government of Dubai has issued guidelines for hotels regarding providing all necessary support to tourists affected by the suspension, postponement, or delays of flights due to the current exceptional circumstances,” the embassy wrote on Facebook.
It was emphasized that “hotel guests who were due to check out but are unable to do so because of these circumstances should be allowed to extend their stay under the same conditions as in their original reservation.”
The statement also added that “the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism will cooperate with hotels in the case of individuals who are unable to cover the costs of an extended stay.”
However, it turns out that the information provided by the Polish embassy may not reflect reality. The portal Niezalezna.plobtained correspondence between one of the Polish tourists and the diplomatic mission which appears to contradict the official message.
“I am currently in Dubai. My return flight was scheduled for March 3, and now supposedly I have a flight on March 10. We do not have the funds to extend our stay. According to information on the embassy’s Facebook page, hotels in Dubai are required to extend stays at the expense of the UAE Ministry of Culture and Tourism, but the hotels say they know nothing about it and either demand payment or throw us out!” the message reads.
The author of the message adds that he is asking for help and stresses that he cannot reach the embassy by phone. In response, the diplomatic mission essentially admitted it could do nothing.
“Sir, as a diplomatic mission we received a document containing guidelines from the Emirati government for the hotel industry. If a hotel does not follow those guidelines, there is nothing we as an embassy can do about it,” the message states.
The embassy referred the Polish tourist to the Dubai Department of Tourism.