Several travel agencies are stuck with clients after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) increased their visa restrictions for Dubai travelers, leaving a number of travelers stuck even after making full payments, which are nonrefundable.
The revelation was made by Catherine Namutebi, a travel agent at Mulen Tours and Travels, while at their offices at UMA Showgrounds in Kampala as she spoke to our reporter on December 14, 2024.
According to Namutebi, travellers are now required to first make full payment for accommodation and return air tickets, which is still not a guarantee for getting a Dubai visa.
“I have a group of over 180 people who have already paid for accommodation in Dubai and return tickets, and only half of them have been given travel visas, and others have been denied even after paying all the required amounts,” she said.
Musa Muhammed said that he applied for seven visas to Dubai for himself, his wife, and five children, but he was only given his, whereas the children and wife were denied.
“We applied for seven visas; my wife and children were rejected without even giving a clear explanation. We had already paid for hotel accommodation and even air tickets and were assured of the visas and only to be rejected,” he noted.
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Henry Ssebunya, a travel agent with Lets Go Travel, asked the government to come out and clarify if Ugandans are no longer welcome in Dubai because since December 7, 2024, most visa applications were denied, and now the clients are stuck while their money can’t be refunded.
“The government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should intervene and sort any kind of misunderstanding between the UAE embassy and the Ugandan government because this is a peak season, and many of our clients are stranded, and we can’t help,” Ssebunya noted.
The responses given by some travel agents that were contacted indicate that the reasons given for the denial of travel visas are not sufficient because some people are being denied visas even when they are first-time visitors and have made all the required payments, including return tickets.
On average, there are over 1000 people who travel to the UAE daily, and for those on a Dubai holiday, they spend at least not less than USD 1500 per person for a few days while there.
