UAE approves visa on arrival scheme for Chinese visitors

DUBAI -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) cabinet in Abu Dhabi adopted Sunday a decision to grant visas for Chinese visitors to the UAE upon arrival, the government-controlled Dubai Media Office reported.

The Dubai Media Office did not reveal the exact date the decision will be implemented.

In 2015, 450,000 Chinese visitors came to the UAE, up 29 percent year on year. This growth represented the highest increase among all nationalities visiting the Gulf Arab state, according to the official Dubai Tourism body.

In May, the UAE's first carrier Emirates Airline from Dubai expanded its network to China by adding Yinchuan and Zhengzhou in western and central China as its 4th and 5th destination in the country.

Approximately 350,000 Chinese nationals live in the UAE which has a total population of 10.5 million.

Earlier last week, the Gulf state of Qatar announced that Chinese visitors would be allowed "soon" to get their visas to enter the country on arrival, the Qatar daily The Peninsula reported.