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DOHA: Indians, Russians and Chinese visiting Qatar will be able to obtain tourist visas on arrival soon, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker announced yesterday.

“The State of Qatar is finalising agreements in order to allow citizens of Russia, China and India to arrive at the airport and get visa on arrival like the other 33 nations that already have this facility,” said Al Baker.

Currently, 33 countries have visa on arrival arrangements with Qatar including the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Spain, Monaco, the Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Lichtenstein, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and South Korea.

“The Ministry of Interior is putting processes in place because it needs IT infrastructure to be activated and the MoI is aggressively working on that and it will soon make an announcement to this effect. It will be in weeks, not months,” he said.

Al Baker was addressing the media at the agreement signing between Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and VFS Global – a visa processing services provider-yesterday at Four Seasons Hotel Doha. The agreement will pave the way for an online visa processing system.

The new online visa processing system will be implemented by the first to second quarter of next year and will be available for passengers of all airlines, he said, adding the new system will make it more convenient for visitors as they will be able to get visas within 48 hours after application.

“This agreement will significantly improve the process of applying for and receiving Qatar tourist visas. Through this, visitors will soon be able to apply online in just minutes. In addition, Qatar Airways passengers may be able to apply directly to select international Qatar Airways offices,” Al Baker.

The agreement is part of Qatar’s efforts to attract more visitors to Qatar in line with Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030. “It  will help Qatar to raise its visitor arrivals from 2.9 million last year to over five million tourists in just three years’ time,” said Al Baker.

Zubin Karkaria, CEO of VFS Global, shared the same view, saying: “This service will leverage on our experience and reliability in providing seamless visa application services, and will act as an important tool to boost tourism and make Qatar a preferred tourist destination.

“We are pleased to partner with Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism Authority to make the Qatar visa application process available to travellers globally, through online and mobile platforms. These new channels, which are sure to prove convenient and beneficial for visitors here, signify the next level of flexibility and security in the visa application process,” added Karkaria.

Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer at QTA, said Qatar Airways and QTA will be working with VFS Global and the MoI in the coming months to establish the new system, after which full details including visa fees will be announced.

The steps taken are expected to increase Qatar’s openness ranking on the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index. He called the soon-to-be-launched visa processing system “a milestone” in Qatar’s efforts to develop the country as a world class destination.

 “Facilitating the visa application process is an important step in our drive to increase the number of visitor arrivals to Qatar, and in raising inbound tourism spending.

“It is no secret that global tourism this year is facing pressures - both economic and security-related - which have impacted arrival figures and the hospitality sector’s performance across the region.

“However, our strategy to develop tourism in Qatar is a long-term one, and we are determined to continue developing the infrastructure necessary to support the growth of this sector.”

Among the initiatives QTA is pursuing in partnership with the private sector to drive up tourism growth include developing new and varied tourism products, expanding Qatar’s calendar of tourism festivals and events, and enhancing the level of expertise and quality among tourism sector professionals, said Al Ibrahim.