UAE: New Project to Assist Tourists with Health Insurance Issuance
- Written by: iPMI Global
Announced Monday, July 22nd, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP) has announced a project to assist tourists with health insurance issuance as part of its “transformational projects.”
In a quote published on Gulf News, Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director General, ICP, said, “The project includes working on issuing health insurance for tourist visas through the electronic platform at the state level in order to facilitate the process of issuing health insurance while applying for tourist visas through the services system.”
“The implementation of the project aims to achieve the authority’s priorities and objectives which are to support the tourism sector in the UAE by encouraging visitors wishing to visit the country from all over the world and providing them with health insurance in emergency cases.”
The ICP has said that the project aims to enhance the country’s competitiveness in residency and travel, by assisting tourists in obtaining health insurance when they apply for their visa online. An online platform will manage pricing and issuance and include health insurance plans from all major insurers in the UAE.
iPMI Global CEO, Christopher Knight comments, “Back in March we saw Thailand launch travel medical insurance for tourists to assure tourists of their safety when travelling to Thailand. But the cover limit is rather low, and it is funded by the Tourism and Sports Ministry, who have set aside 50 million baht to fund the scheme. This new project from the ICP in the UAE seems similar but relies on plans from insurers operating in the UAE. In theory this should help tourists with choice, price and various coverage options, whilst promoting the local insurance market.”
According to Statista, the number of international tourists arriving to the United Arab Emirates increased in 2022, amounting to approximately 22 million people. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has initiated several plans to encourage the travel and tourism sector, including the Dubai Tourism Strategy 2020. Data for 2023 and 2024 is thin on the ground.
