Dubai's yachts offer socially-distanced luxury

Dubai

DUBAI earned a reputation for delivering luxury for those with cash to splash years ago, but amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a new mode of travel has become popular - yachts.

"It's more private, you're with only family and friends, and it's the ideal outing during a pandemic," said Nada Naeem, a 36-year-old Saudi citizen living in Dubai.

Dozens of white yachts are seen every day zipping through the emirate's bays, canals and islands, while others are docked along the coast in Gulf waters overlooking the skyline of high-rise towers.

"You feel like you can breathe," Ms Naeem said, adding that she had not left Dubai since the pandemic began last year. "It's like you've travelled." Unlike so many parts of the world, Dubai opened its doors wide open to tourists just a few months after the coronavirus pandemic took hold last year.

Life in the Gulf emirate - one of the first destinations to welcome visitors again last July - returned to largely normal, with restaurants and hotels up and running and beaches open to the public.

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The UAE, made up of seven emirates including Dubai, launched an energetic vaccination drive with some of the highest inoculation rates worldwide, and continues to enforce strict rules on wearing masks and social distancing. But some are fearful of overseas travel, and wary of crowded places where the risk of catching Covid-19 is higher.

For those who can afford the price tag, yachts are seen as a safer bet.

"When they eased the lockdown ... people preferred something secure and safe with regulations," said Mohammed al-Sayyed, manager of Royal Star Yachts charter company.

"We are providing them with the proper customer service, following all the rules, sanitising the yacht." For now, yachts are allowed to operate at 70 per cent capacity.

The company has a fleet that includes a 141-foot (42-metre) yacht able to host 80 passengers at full capacity - if you can afford the US$4,900 price for a three-hour cruise.

Charter companies said they have seen an increased interest in yachting after coronavirus measures eased, especially among those who want to spend time with friends and family.

"People want to do sightseeing, cruising," said Mr Sayyed, "They want to relax." AFP