Saudi Arabia Starts Issuing Free 4-Day Stopover Transit Visa

Saudi Arabia launched the electronic stopover transit visa for international visitors arriving in the country by air from Monday. The transit visa entitles visa holders to stay in the kingdom for four days and the duration of the visa is three months. The visa is free of cost and it will be issued instantly along with the flight ticket, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting sources from the foreign affairs ministry. The ministry clarified that applications for transit visas can be submitted through the electronic platforms of Saudi Arabian Airlines and Flynas. The transit visa allows transit passengers, who wish to enter Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah in addition to traveling inside the kingdom, as well as attending tourism events. The ministry confirms that the digital transit visa service will contribute to achieving the objectives of Vision 2030 by strengthening Saudi’s position and benefiting from its distinguished strategic location connecting various continents, and attractive station for transit passengers as well as a global tourist destination.

Hotels in the Middle East recorded revenue per available room of $110.12 during 2022, which is an increase of 18.2 percent over 2019, according to hospitality data provider STR. The occupancy rate touched 63.6 percent during the year, still 3.3 percent below 2019 rates, while the average daily rate skyrocketed 22.2 percent to $173.10. Asia was only the region that witnessed a decline in revenue per available room from 2019, according to STR. The industry’s resilience has been underpinned by significant pent-up leisure travel over the summer along with the return of corporate demand, as the nature and length of this business travel has evolved, said Robin Rossmann, STR’s managing director. “Though occupancy came in below the pre-pandemic comparables, the metric is anticipated to stabilize throughout 2023. Despite economic headwinds, the industry is operating from a position of strength in the new year,” Rossman said.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the ultra-low-fare national airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced its operational results for