Abu Dhabi News: The Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) has instructed hotels to extend the free stay period for guests stranded due to regional flight disruptions. DCT Abu Dhabi issued a circular on February 28 asking general managers of hotels to extend the stay of guests who are unable to depart due to reasons beyond their control.
Hotels have been instructed to send the bills for all extra room charges directly to the department, so that there is no additional financial burden on the passengers. According to reports, around 20,000 passengers were accommodated in hotels or temporary accommodation by the UAE Civil Aviation Authority following widespread flight cancellations. Apart from this, the officials also made arrangements to provide food and refreshments to the people in distress.
Wow. pic.twitter.com/fo7DSPfaXB
— Samir Arora (@Iamsamirarora) March 1, 2026
UAE’s proactive and humanitarian response
This initiative went viral on social media platform X. Samir Arora, founder of Helios Capital, shared a copy of the directive on X and praised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for its proactive and humanitarian approach during the crisis.
Users said – this is called hospitality
Users compared Abu Dhabi’s policy to increased prices in other countries. Many praised the UAE for arranging hotels, food and repatriation for stranded passengers and for giving priority to people.
One user wrote, “If this was any other place, they would have increased the prices three times in such an emergency.” Another user commented, “From issuing emergency visas on the spot to extending hotel stays for stranded people, the UAE government is teaching us a great way to deal with the crisis!”
Another user said, “Only in the UAE do we find leaders who actually care about tourists, expatriates and their own citizens. Yet some people try to take advantage of such opportunities to criticize the country. The truth is simple: The UAE is safer than all the major cities in the world.”
