France, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa Witness Boost In Tourism From Uae As Limited Schengen Appointments, Steep Agent Fees, And Reduced Visa Validity Disrupt Summer In Europe

Published on August 11, 2025 |

France, Indonesia, Kenya, and South Africa are swiftly becoming nan apical summertime destinations for UAE residents, arsenic crushing delays and skyrocketing fees for Schengen visas unit galore to wantonness their long-held plans to sojourn Europe. With smoother introduction processes and much dependable recreation options, these countries are attracting a increasing activity of visitors seeking hassle-free holidays. This surge underscores really nan ongoing Schengen visa situation is reshaping recreation trends and transforming nan UAE’s summertime tourism landscape.

Months-Long Schengen Visa Delays Force UAE Residents to Swap Europe Holidays for Alternative Destinations

Months of lengthy delays successful securing Schengen visa appointments person prompted a important displacement successful recreation plans for galore UAE residents this summer. Unable to get nan basal paperwork successful time, a increasing number are shelving their European vacation dreams and booking trips to destinations successful Africa and Asia that connection much straightforward introduction procedures.

While Europe remains 1 of nan astir desired summertime getaway options, nan reality of navigating nan region’s analyzable and overburdened visa strategy has proved excessively overmuch for immoderate travelers. Even those who began nan process early successful nan twelvemonth — successful immoderate cases arsenic acold backmost arsenic January — person been incapable to unafraid question and reply dates earlier their intended departure. The consequence has been a surge successful liking for visa-free aliases visa-on-arrival countries, peculiarly those pinch formation connections from nan UAE and elastic introduction rules.

Rising Costs to Secure Appointments

The situation has besides fueled a mini but thriving broadside marketplace successful assignment bookings. Some UAE residents, hopeless to support their European recreation plans alive, person paid recreation agents betwixt Dh300 and Dh2,500 conscionable to unafraid a day to taxable documents and use for a Schengen visa. For predominant travelers, nan business has been particularly frustrating. Several study that contempt having been granted year-long multiple-entry visas successful erstwhile years, they are now receiving approvals for stays of only 15 days.

These shorter validity periods person disrupted cautiously planned itineraries and forced immoderate travelers to rethink multi-country trips crossed Europe. In galore cases, visitors who erstwhile traveled seamlessly betwixt cities for illustration Paris, Rome, and Barcelona nether a azygous visa are now struggling to fresh moreover a single-country vacation into nan restricted clip frame.

What nan Schengen Visa Covers

A Schengen visa allows introduction into 29 European countries — nan mostly of which are EU members — for non-EU nationals. Emirati citizens bask visa-free entree to these nations, but galore UAE residents who clasp passports from countries successful Asia, Africa, and South America must use successful advance. This other measurement has go a awesome hurdle successful 2025, arsenic request for recreation rebounds and assignment systems neglect to support pace.

A Game of Chance

Applicants picture nan process arsenic unpredictable and inconsistent, likening it to a lottery. Travel companies often counsel clients to return immoderate unfastened assignment slot from immoderate European embassy aliases consulate they tin find, alternatively than hold for readiness pinch nan state they scheme to sojourn first. The Schengen statement allows travelers to participate done 1 personnel state and move freely crossed borders, which intends nan issuing state is little captious than securing nan visa successful nan first place.

In response, galore UAE residents now activity pinch aggregate recreation agencies astatine nan aforesaid time, hoping that astatine slightest 1 will win successful booking an appointment. In immoderate instances, group person secured a slot wrong days done 1 agency, while others person been near waiting for months contempt akin applications.

Long Wait Times and Blocked Calendars

Travel agencies opportunity that immoderate companies person gone truthful acold arsenic to dedicate unit solely to scanning for unfastened appointments online. Even pinch specified measures, nan hold tin beryllium excruciating. Industry insiders study emblematic delays of 5 to six months, pinch immoderate embassies and consulates already afloat booked until September. This intends that for many, summertime recreation to Europe is nary longer possible.

The blocked calendars are partially owed to nan precocious request for recreation successful 2025, which has been driven by some leisure and business trips aft years of pandemic disruptions. Additionally, immoderate European countries person tightened their screening procedures, requiring much archiving and longer processing times, further reducing nan number of appointments disposable each week.

Impact connected Travel Trends

The visa bottleneck is opening to show measurable effects connected location recreation trends. UAE residents are progressively turning to destinations specified arsenic Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, and nan Maldives — each of which either do not require beforehand visas for definite passport holders aliases connection speedy online approvals. Tour operators successful these countries person reported a spike successful bookings from nan Gulf region, while European-focused agencies are facing a driblet successful summertime sales.

Airlines are adjusting arsenic well. Carriers pinch beardown networks to Asia and Africa are adding much seasonal capacity to meet nan accrued demand, while immoderate European airlines whitethorn spot reduced rider loads from nan Middle East successful nan coming months.

The Human Frustration Factor

Beyond nan logistical and financial implications, nan delays are causing important disappointment among travelers. For many, summertime successful Europe is much than conscionable a vacation — it is simply a chance to sojourn family, be weddings, aliases participate successful taste events. Missed appointments and shortened visa durations person meant that immoderate will person to hold different twelvemonth for specified opportunities.

Several residents person voiced their concerns connected societal media, highlighting inconsistencies successful nan strategy and questioning why past recreation history and cleanable records do not construe into longer visa validity. Some besides consciousness that nan deficiency of transparency astir assignment readiness allows intermediaries to profit unfairly from travelers’ desperation.

Looking Ahead

Industry experts judge that nan assignment backlog is improbable to resoluteness earlier nan extremity of summer, pinch embassies focusing connected clearing existing queues. Some propose that applying for visas successful nan off-season — specified arsenic autumn aliases wintertime — whitethorn summation chances of securing a slot without excessive hold times. Others urge keeping recreation plans flexible, pinch refundable tickets and accommodation, successful lawsuit delays push support dates beyond nan intended departure.

France, Indonesia, Kenya, and South Africa are emerging arsenic favored alternatives for UAE travelers this summertime arsenic prolonged Schengen visa delays and precocious fees push galore to rethink their Europe vacation plans. This displacement marks a important alteration successful recreation patterns driven by visa bottlenecks and rising costs.

Until nan business improves, UAE residents eager to recreation whitethorn proceed shifting their attraction distant from Europe. For countries successful Asia, Africa, and parts of nan Middle East, this could mean a invited boost successful tourism revenue, moreover arsenic Europe grapples pinch nan fallout of a strategy struggling to lucifer post-pandemic demand.