The department has received complaints that room rates were being raised in an ‘exaggerated and exploitative manner’
Hotels in Fujairah have been warned against hiking room rates in the Emirate after the UAE’s east coast was pummelled by torrential rain and strong winds over the past few days, a report in the Khaleej Times says.
Meanwhile, Torrential rains in Sharjah, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah is being described as one of the worst floodings in the country’s history.
On Thursday, July 28, the Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority distributed a circular to hotel establishments, instructing them not to take advantage of the situation by hiking prices. Hotels across Fujairah have experienced a surge in room demand from residents affected by the floods.
According to the circular, the tourism department issued the notice after it received complaints from residents who said room rates were being hiked in an ‘exaggerated and exploitative manner’.
It said, “The current conditions the Emirate is going through has led to an increase in demand for hotel rooms. We ask all hotels in the Emirate to consider the situation and avoid raising prices. We request hotels to act in solidarity with those affected and living in hotels due to rain and damaged roads.”
The deluge across Fujairah, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah had led to waterlogged roads and road closures and forced people to leave homes damaged by widespread flooding.
The National Centre of Meteorology has said this is the wettest July in the UAE since 1978. The most rain was recorded at a rain gauge in Fujairah Port, where 234.9 millimetres was recorded between 10.30 pm on July 25 and 9.18 am on Thursday, July 28.
Submerged cars, mosques; flooded streets
Residents on Thursday woke up to submerged cars in the parking areas, vehicles trapped in flooded subways. The streets of Fujairaj were inundated and videos by emergency teams show people being pulled out from neck-deep water.
The deluge across Fujairah, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah had led to waterlogged roads and road closures and forced people to leave homes damaged by widespread flooding.
Emergency workers on Thursday rescued people in boats and carried children on shoulders as torrential rain lashed UAE and flooded homes, submerged streets, and swept vehicles away.
According to the National Centre of Meteorology, the UAE, this summer has recorded its highest amount of rainfall in 27 years.
Due to incessant rains and road damage caused by floods, several routes in Sharjah, Fujairah, and RAK have been closed. Motorists have been asked to stay at home or use alternative roads in an emergency.
******************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com