Australian visas for Gulf visitors jump 21%
April 28 2009 by Gareth McConnell
Australian immigration has noted a significant rise in the number of visitors from the Middle East following an increased number of flights from the region.
Almost 63,000 Gulf nationals applied for Australian visas in 2008, an increase of 21% on the previous year.
“There has been a stunning increase in capacity, making Australia easier to get to,” said Andrew Oldfield, the distribution development manager for Tourism Australia.
Emirates Airline currently flies direct from Dubai to Melbourne, offering 63 flights weekly with plans to add more in the coming months. Etihad Airways is also promising further growth as the number of Australian tourist visas rockets, with Qatar Airways planning to launch a direct service later in the year.
Passenger numbers are made up of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, western ex-pats and resident Indian and Australian nationals working in the UAE returning home.
Australian immigration has recently eased visa procedures to GCC nationals freeing up more online applications and standardising multiple-entry visas.
“All visas issued to GCC nationals are multi-entry, given for a period of two years and are valid for stays of up to three months at a time,” added Mr Oldfield.
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