Dubai sure knows how to keep tourists happy. Source: Shutterstock
DUBAI is now making it easier for all tourists entering the country for the first time, thanks to a collaborative “happiness” project launched by Du Telecommunications, one of the two telecom operators in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA-Dubai) and Smart Dubai.
The pilot phase of the “Connect with Happiness” project offers a free prepaid mobile SIM card to all tourists entering the city so they can connect right away from the moment they arrive in Dubai.
“Dubai is witnessing an increasing growth in the number of visitors from all over the world. In addition, this initiative is in line with the directives of the UAE leadership and with the city’s vision for the implementation of Happiness Agenda to make Dubai the happiest city on Earth,” Khaleej Times quoted Major General Mohammed Al Marri as saying at the press meet at Dubai International Terminal 3 recently.
“Through our association with du, we are pleased to be enabling visitors to Dubai to enjoy a unique service on arrival. The traveler will be given the SIM card on the basis of their travel document, which includes the travelers’ passport and a valid visit visa,” he added.
The free “tourist SIM pack” will be handed over to all tourists above 18-years-old with a transit visa, visit visa, visa on arrival, and GCC citizens at the immigration counter of Dubai International Airport. It will provide the user three minutes of talk time and 20 MB of mobile data for absolutely free.
The SIM will be offered to passengers exiting Dubai International Airport’s terminals 1, 2, and 3. It will be valid for 30 days, an entire month, or the duration of the tourist’s stay.
In the presence of H.E Dr. @Aisha_BinBishr & in collaboration with @GDRFADUBAI & @dutweets, we are launching the “Connect with Happiness” initiative – providing all Dubai visitors first-ever complimentary DU tourist SIM cards once they arrive at the Dubai International Airport! pic.twitter.com/2YK4oGLx5X
— Smart Dubai (@SmartDubai) June 16, 2019
According to Du Telecommunications Telco Services deputy CEO Fahad Al Hassawi, the system works in sync with the immigration system and will be deactivated once the tourist exits the country. “Otherwise, the SIM is valid for 30-days only. The tourist can also top-up the sim for three packages – small, medium, and large,” he said.
To activate the tourist SIM pack, all you need to do is insert the SIM card, dial *122# and follow the instructions to get connected through Du Telecommunications. Once the tourist SIM pack has been activated, you can opt to add more calling minutes or data via three recharge options:
- Pay Dh25 (US$6.81) and get 150 MB data – 10 flexible minutes, three-day validity.
- Pay Dh55 (US$14.97) and get 500 MB data – 20 flexible minutes, seven-day validity.
- Pay Dh110 (US$29.95) and get 2 GB data – 40 flexible minutes and 14-day validity.
In the near future, the “Connect with Happiness” project will be extended to all immigration checkpoints in the UAE and other airports across the country.
