Qatar has shown by this, they want be a liberal country and has started making plans on issuing citizens of other country the opportunity of visiting their country without a visa, this is also a way to boost its economy.
Qatar in a bid to boost economic activities
in its isolated country has opened the borders to citizens of 80
countries yet to be made public.
Qatar, isolated by its
neighbours in a diplomatic crisis, announced on Wednesday a visa-free
entry programme for 80 nationalities to stimulate air transport and
tourism.
“The visa exemption scheme will make Qatar the most
open country in the region,” tourism department official Hassan
al-Ibrahim told a press conference in Doha.
Interior
ministry official Mohamed Rashed al-Mazroui said the nationals of 80
countries would only need to present a valid passport for entry to the
energy-rich Gulf State which is to host football’s 2022 World Cup.
The
80 countries were not named and neither was the date from which the
visa-free programme will take effect, but Qatari newspapers said it
would apply mainly to Western nationals.
Nationals of 33
countries will be authorised to stay for 180 days and the other 47 for
up to 30 days, periods which are renewable a single time. Mazroui said
the countries were selected on the basis of security and economic
considerations, or for the buying-power of their nationals.
Qatar
Airways chief Akbar al-Baker said his carrier, which this year plans to
extend its network to 62 new destinations, would be a primary
beneficiary.
Regional kingpin Saudi Arabia as well as
Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have since June 5 imposed a
boycott on Qatar, accusing the emirate of fostering Islamist extremist
groups and of close ties to Iran.
Doha has denied the
allegations. The four Gulf nations have closed their land and sea
borders to Qatar and imposed economic and air traffic restrictions.
On
August 3, Qatar created a new permanent residents status for certain
groups of foreigners, including those who have worked for the benefit of
the emirate, a first for the Gulf.
Under the new rules,
children with a Qatari mother and a foreign father can benefit from the
new status, along with foreign residents who have “given service to
Qatar” or have “skills that can benefit the country”.
Those
deemed eligible for the new status will be afforded the same access as
Qataris to free public services, such as health and education. Qatar has
a population of 2.4 million people, 90 percent of whom are foreigners,
including many from south Asia working in construction.
FOR ADVERTS CALL +234 8065046533 OR 7010528147 OR SEND US AN EMAIL ON dpaschalblog@gmail.com or kajieze4real@gmail.com
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @kajiPaschal.
No comments:
Post a Comment