Tour operators are seeing a spike in travel interest in Saudi Arabia, especially from Indian expatriates who have lived in Bahrain for more than 30 years but haven’t visited KSA because of stringent visa requirements.

“We estimate that traffic to Saudi will go up as the visa on arrival offers travellers a unique way to explore a country that is now starting to relax entry requirements,” Bahrain International Travel managing director C D Singh said.

Magnum Travel Services general manager Haifa Oun already saw a spike in interest in travel to the neighbouring kingdom during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, surpassing even Dubai.

Meanwhile, Bahrainis were delighted after it was announced that they could travel to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE using their national identity cards after a two-year hiatus.

The GDN reported that the Saudi General Administration of Passports had announced the decision on Thursday. Gulf countries had suspended travel between them using the smart card in the wake of the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020. Passports were made mandatory for crossing all national borders.

Tourism

Bahraini Hassan Ali, a 42-year-old, said the move will help boost tourism in the GCC.

“It’s a great idea and I hope all Gulf countries implement it soon,” the 42-year-old employee at Bahrain Polytechnic told the GDN.

University graduate Sara Albuarki was happy that life had returned back to normal after two years.

“We are glad that we will be able to travel to Saudi Arabia through King Fahad Causeway with just our ID,” the 23-year-old said.

“This will increase number of travellers between the two countries and boost tourism.

“Several students and professionals travel through the causeway every day for study and work and carrying a passport is a hassle. We travelled with smart cards before the Covid-19 pandemic and with governments reinstating the rule, I feel that life is back to normal.”

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