Austria is all set to open its borders for international travelers including those from the GCC, as it gears up to resume social and economic activities with safe measures in place.
The country is welcoming fully vaccinated citizens and residents of the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar holding a valid Schengen visa, starting from July 1, 2021 without the need to quarantine. Travelers from Saudi Arabia were already exempt from quarantine on arrival by presenting a negative Covid-19 test or proof of vaccination or past infection report upon entry.
Unvaccinated children under the age of 18 who are travelling with vaccinated parents will be allowed to enter Austria for tourist purposes without quarantine as well.
The list of recognized vaccines by the European county includes; BioNtech/Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm & Sinovac.
The news comes after the launch of ‘Travel Builds Bridges’ campaign by the Austrian National Tourist Office, that works towards welcoming guests and travelers from the GCC to Austria for holiday, business, education and medical tourism. The campaign is an internationally recognized theme with plans to include 15 countries to take part in it, with an objective to stimulate progress, development, attracting and providing new opportunities to overcoming obstacles, building the future enriching cross cultures while enjoying the traditional Austrian hospitality.
“Welcoming travelers from the GCC is not only a revival to the tourism scene in Austria, yet a great opportunity to explore and exchange experiences, strengthen cross cultural ties and join forces in bridging between people to better promote travel and tourism between Austria and the Gulf countries. We are looking forward to welcoming travelers from this region to Austria again,” said Robert Gröblacher, director for Middle East at the Austrian National Tourist Office.
Travelers from the Gulf region will have plenty of options to reach Austria thanks to the availability of many flights connections between the two destinations. Emirates Airline is flying daily with their A380 flagship from Dubai to Vienna already, and Qatar Airways flies three to four times weekly from Doha to Vienna. Etihad Airways, flydubai, flynas and Saudia will commence flights to Austria from next month.
