Doha - A larger number of Qatari nationals were expected to visit Australia for their holidays, thanks to simplified visa procedures that were now in force and, the variety of attractions the country has on offer for families, a senior official at Tourism Australia, said here yesterday. Tourist arrivals from the GCC countries to Australia shot up by some 26 per cent in 2004 as compared to the previous year, she added.
Lynne Hocking, Manager, International Liaison at Tourism Australia revealed, the Australian agency will conduct 'An Evening To Remember' for travel agents and tour operators in Qatar tomorrow evening.
"The evening will offer agents, an opportunity to catch up with all the latest products and trends in Australia, when they meet over 14 major destinations and hotels, representatives from various state tourism boards and several tour operators. With opportunities to win a number of prizes, the event was being hosted to ensure agents in Qatar have all the tools to continue to boost arrivals from the region to Australia this year," she added.
She pointed out that Qatari nationals can now apply for a short stay visa for Australia through the Internet website, www.immi.gov.au or, through their local travel agent. In Qatar, such visas are processed at Darwish Travel Bureau, who are also the General Sales Agent for Qantas, the Australian flag carrier.
"International visitors to Australia are expected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.8 per cent, from 4.8mn in 2002 to 8.1mn by 2012. Visitor arrivals from the Middle East and GCC region in specific, were also expected to increase in tandem," Lynne, said. She disclosed that Tourism Australia had recently issued a travellers guide for visitors from the region, in Arabic, which was available with most travel agents.
Another motivating factor for Qatari nationals to visit Australia was the increased choice of airlines to fly and visa processing time at the Australian diplomatic missions in the UAE was also slashed to about one week, instead of the earlier two weeks, for those who apply through such a channel.
Several tour operators in Australia, she said, had offered special packages designed to meet the needs of those coming from countries such as Qatar and Arabic speaking assistance were also available upon arrival in Australia, she added.
© The Peninsula 2005
