As neighboring Gulf nations want to profit from the event, Saudi Arabia will provide fans multiple-entry permits for the World Cup in Qatar, officials announced on Thursday.
According to the foreign ministry, those who have a Hayya Card, which is only available to ticket holders and is used to enter Qatar during the tournament, would be eligible to apply for the electronic visas.
The action is being taken as Saudi Arabia intensifies its efforts to draw tourists and as Qatar, a country of 2.8 million people, prepares to host 1.2 million expected guests during the World Cup from November 20 to December 18.
According to the ministry’s tweet, “visa holders will be permitted to enter and exit the Kingdom several times during the validity of their visa.”
extreme conservatism Until it began distributing tourist visas in 2019, Saudi Arabia had mostly walled itself off from visitors as part of efforts to diversify its oil-reliant economy.
The gas-rich nation of Qatar, which is hosting the first World Cup in the Middle East to be hosted in the winter, and the Gulf power are separated by a land border.
The 60-day validity of the Saudi visas will begin 10 days before to the commencement of the World Cup.
Due to the shortage of lodging in Qatar, more than 160 shuttle flights per day will be operated by Saudia, Kuwait Airways, flydubai, and Oman Air to transport supporters to games.
According to Qatari officials, shuttle flights from Gulf nations, some of which are providing exclusive hotel packages, might bring more than 20,000 spectators every day.
Saudis will also pour across the border in large numbers. In a late-night Twitter interview with the official Qatar News Agency, World Cup CEO Nasser al-Khater stated that Saudi Arabia’s Group C matchup with Lionel Messi’s Argentina is one of the most sought-after matches.
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, and Egypt severed ties with Doha after accusing it of having ties to Iran and funding terrorist organizations, both of which Qatar rejected. The embargo on trade, transportation, and diplomacy was only removed in January 2021.
