Saudi aviation body unveils airport upgrades for tourists

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has unveiled a series of upgrades at its four international airports in anticipation of increased visitor numbers following the decision to open up the kingdom to foreign tourists.

The airports included in this campaign are King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, and Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

At these airports, GACA has made available waiting lounges equipped with the necessary infrastructure, including electronic services, multilingual guide boards; various types of tourist visa tracks, including those for first class and business class passengers as well as for GCC citizens.

GACA has also allocated designated areas for the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) to provide support for tourists at airports.

These areas are provided internet services at the arrival lounges as part of improving and developing the experiences of visitors; upgrading facilities and services; and easing procedures of visitors to the kingdom.

These new upgrades follow the kingdom's decision to launch the e-tourist visa, which makes the airports one of the most important engines of the national economy and one of the potential aspects of diversifying the sources of income from the tourism sector, GACA said. - TradeArabia News Service