Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and Oman are coming up with new attractions and activities to boost their tourism. And now, in a bid to invite tourists from GCC countries and other foreign nations, the two Gulf countries are in talks to launch Joint Tourist Visa. With an aim to elevate their tourism sectors, Saudi Arabia and Oman will work together to attract tourists. Read on to know more.
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Joint Tourist Visa Aims To Boost Tourism In Oman & Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Minister, Ahmad Al Khatib, and Oman’s Salem Al Mahrooqi met in Muscat, and during the meeting, the ministers discussed various aspects to boost tourism. And this joint tourist visa is designed to lure foreign tourists, citizens and residents of GCC. Furthermore, the countries will also work on establishing seasonal flights, creating of joint tourism calendar and more. The main objective here is to enhance tourism and activate trade and investment cooperation in the tourism sector in the two countries.
Besides this, both countries also agreed to work on and launch joint tourism programmes in the field of camping and adventure tourism. They also aim to launch a programme to help small and medium enterprises in the tourism sector.
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Speaking about the tourism numbers, in the first quarter of 2023, the number of tourists visiting Saudi from Oman accounted for approximately 164,000. It is a growth rate of 36 per cent over the same period in 2022. Whereas number of tourists visiting Oman from Saudi is 49,000, showing a growth rate of 92 per cent from the same period in 2022.
With Oman launching the world’s longest zipline to Saudi Arabia launching NEOM and other islands and initiatives, both these Gulf countries are upping their game to become a tourist-friendly nation. Offering the best of landscapes, rich culture, beaches, history and food, Oman and Saudi Arabia should be on your travel list.
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