Saudi Arabia directs airlines to provide passenger data online.

Saudi Arabia directs airlines to provide passenger data online.(Photo AFP)

Saudi Arabia has set up an online portal to collect data on corona arrivals in the kingdom and has asked airlines to register foreign passengers.

According to Arab News, on Wednesday, the General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia informed the airlines operating in the kingdom in this regard.

According to the statement, the online portal will facilitate travelers to the kingdom and link visitors data to a Saudi mobile application that keeps records of corona virus (COVID 19) cases.

In Saudi Arabia, from May 20, foreigners will be exempted from quarantine in government-designated hotels in countries where they have been vaccinated with corona vaccine or who have fully recovered from corona.

Also Read : All expats passengers coming to kingdom of Saudi Arabia must go institutional quarantine starting 20 May 2021.

According to the Saudi Tourism Authority, the exemption is for all those who reside in the kingdom, for government and business travel, or for those who wish to visit friends and family, but not for foreign tourists.

Fahd Hamiduddin, chief executive of the Saudi Tourism Authority, told Reuters that the kingdom would soon be open to foreign tourists, but did not say when the decision would be made this year.

Since 2019, Saudi Arabia has taken a number of steps to promote tourism in the country and facilitated the issuance of the country's tourist visas to foreigners.

Saudi Arabia has set a target of attracting 100 million tourists a year by 2030.

Before the outbreak of the global corona virus, 40 million people were coming to Saudi Arabia for tourism every year.

Saudi Arabia was earning 10% of its GDP from the tourism industry.