Having effortlessly transitioned into acting, Fouzia's debut film swiftly captured global acclaim, earning accolades at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival
Travel agents and licensed Umrah companies in the UAE are expecting bookings in the coming days as Saudi Arabia is set to reopen its borders to international tourists tomorrow, August 1.
Following a 17-month closure due to the pandemic, Saudi Arabia has announced that fully vaccinated travellers can enter the Kingdom without the need to quarantine.
The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) issued an advisory which said that travellers would need to provide evidence of a full course of one the four vaccines currently recognised: two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or a single dose of the vaccine produced by Johnson and Johnson. Visitors who completed two doses of the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines will also be allowed into the Kingdom, provided they have received an additional dose of one of the approved vaccines.
“We haven’t got any bookings yet but we are hoping there will be queries over the coming days. If you have taken the Sinopharm vaccine and if you have taken the booster shot which is approved by Saudi Arabia, then you are allowed to enter the Kingdom,” said Raja Mir Wasim, manager of MICE and holidays at Galadari International Travel Services (ITS).
Apart from regular visitors or tourists who travel on business or leisure, travel firms are also expecting bookings for Umrah packages, as Saudi Arabia is set to allow the entry of international pilgrims from August 10.
Bharat Aidasani, the managing partner of Pluto Travels, said that they plan to resume Umrah packages, now that Saudi Arabia has reopened its borders.
ITS also facilitates those who are planning to perform Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage that can be performed at any time of the year. “We do it through a supplier, who is authorised to do Umrah services. You have to apply for an Umrah visa and if you comply with their entry rules, which is being fully vaccinated, then you will be able to travel,” said Wasim.
Saudi Arabia has opened a web portal, where visitors can register their vaccination status. The site is available in Arabic and English.
Travellers arriving in the country are also required to provide a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before departure and an approved paper vaccination certificate, certified by the official health authorities in the issuing country.
“Generally, we have had a huge demand for Saudi over the years and Saudi is a very strong market for the UAE. Pre-covid, we used to get a lot of bookings, especially from the UAE,” said Aidasani.
“We haven’t got many enquiries yet since it was only announced on Friday. We are expecting queries from tomorrow (Sunday),” he added.
james@khaleejtimes.com
Having effortlessly transitioned into acting, Fouzia's debut film swiftly captured global acclaim, earning accolades at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival
Parag, who reached his 50 off 34 balls, cracked 25 runs with three fours and two sixes off the final over bowled by star South Africa paceman Anrich Nortje
Fans were left scratching their heads when Mumbai opted to take Bumrah out of the attack after he bowled the fourth over
With the help of modern equipment, manicured golf courses and elite athletes the scores are getting lower and the game becoming even more captivating
With 10 matches remaining Arsenal lead a three-way title race having won eight successive games
Three separate Israeli strikes on Wednesday, including on a health centre in the border village of Habariyeh, killed 11 civilians
Netanyahu tries to soothe a rift with Biden as he plans to send a government delegation to Washington after earlier cancelling the trip
Among the 24 horses Japan has sent to Dubai is impressive Riyadh Dirt Sprint winner Remake who eyes a Middle East double