Qatar reopens border to vaccinated citizens of Gulf monarchies

MOSCOW, June 1 -- Qatar has become available for travel to citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates who have undergone full vaccination against COVID-19, Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) chief operating officer Berthold Trenkel told Sputnik.

"Qatar closed its borders to inbound international travellers in March 2020. But has this month reopened borders for fully vaccinated visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council region: as Qatar made great strides and sees the success of its vaccination programme," Trenkel said.

He said that a special task force is currently weighing in the "many factors" that will allow for the reopening of the Qatari border to visitors from more foreign countries. With regard to Russian travellers, in particular, the QNTC executive said that the prerequisites will be a globally recognised certification of vaccination and COVID-19 status.

"With the rollout of IATA Travel Pass around the globe, and hopefully soon the acceptance of Sputnik V to the WHO list of approved vaccines; we hope to be able to welcome Russian tourists to Qatar," he said.

According to Trenkel, Qatar has implemented numerous safety measures to ensure that tourists and residents are protected from COVID-19. A year ago, the country's health ministry launched the Qatar Clean programme, under which qualified hotels, production sites and restaurants are regularly checked to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness.

The official also noted that Qatar used the tourism standstill during the pandemic to its advantage by investing in new and existing tourism assets and implementing advanced health and safety measures.

The Qatar National Tourism Council will take part in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Russia from Wednesday to Saturday.

-- BERNAMA