It is currently illegal for Saudi Arabian citizens to visit Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the United Arab Emirates. This will have an impact for Dubai, where medical tourists from Saudi Arabia were a key target market. With almost nowhere for Saudi Arabian medical travellers to go, will they get into a habit of using local hospitals and not revert to treatment abroad?
Neigbouring UAE and 15 other countries are on the no travel red list designed for Saudi citizens, with severe penalties in place for violators.
The state has warned citizens against travelling directly or indirectly to the red-list countries where the pandemic has not yet been controlled and there is a surge in cases of mutated strains of coronavirus.
Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Belarus, India, and Vietnam are also on the Saudi red list.
From August fully vaccinated tourists and medical tourists from countries not on the red list can enter Saudi Arabia without the need to quarantine.
According to the Saudi Ministry of Health most medical tourists go to Dubai, USA, UK, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain.
While Abu Dhabi and Dubai allow Saudis in, both are red countries where Saudi Arabia bans exit.
None of the EU countries, UK or USA allow vaccinated or unvaccinated Saudis in.
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