Muscat: Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has recently announced a new policy regarding visa exemption for certain countries.
The decision, which was officially published on Saturday, grants a 90-day visa exemption for ordinary passport holders from the United States of America, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Sultanate of Oman. This exemption allows citizens from these countries to travel to Türkiye for tourism purposes without the need for a visa.
The decision is outlined in two official documents: the Decision on Providing Visa Exemption for Ordinary Passport Holders of the United States of America, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Sultanate of Oman for 90 Days in Every 180 Days for Their Touristic Travels to Turkey (Decision Number: 7976)
The Decision on Amending the Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 2002/3654, Dated 28/1/2002, Concerning the Determination of Those Who Will Be Exempted from the Provision of the First Paragraph of Article 1 of the Law No. 4736, Dated 8/1/2002 (Decision Number: 7977). These decisions reflect the Turkish government's efforts to promote tourism and strengthen diplomatic ties with these countries.
The Turkish Ambassador to Oman, Muhammet Hekimoğlu, announced in June of this year that both nations are currently collaborating to simplify the visa regulations for Omani citizens.
Once this initiative is implemented, Omani citizens will have the privilege of entering Türkiye without the need to obtain a visa.
In 2022, Türkiye welcomed approximately 130,000 Omani tourists, and this number is expected to rise significantly with the introduction of more relaxed travel regulations.
Currently, Oman Air operates flights to Istanbul and Trabzon, while SalamAir offers flights to two airports in Istanbul, including Sabiha Gökçen.
Pegasus Airlines and Turkish Airlines also provide flights from Muscat to Istanbul.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), Türkiye has generated $42 billion in revenue from tourism during the first nine months of this year, marking a 20.1% increase compared to the previous year.
Moreover, the country has hosted 44.6 million visitors from January to September, reflecting a 13.2% growth compared to the same period last year.
In the third quarter of this year, tourism income experienced a 13.1% surge from the previous year, reaching $20.2 billion.
During the months of July to September, Türkiye witnessed 22.4 million visitor arrivals, surpassing the 21 million recorded during the same period last year.
