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29 March 2024

Travel agents made responsible for visitors

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By Staff

Travel agents would be held responsible for the whereabouts of the visitors who enter the country through them and overstay their visa duration, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs of Sharjah has announced.

The announcement comes as thousands of jobseekers enter the country every year through visit visas, causing administrative problems, reported 'Al Ittihad' newspaper.

The directorate held a meeting with 50 prominent travel agents in Sharjah to convey the message and emphasised on the need to regulate the tourism sector.

The department took the decision to tighten the visa regime as it noticed that the request for visas for people below the age of 18 has increased in the recent past, with many not returning within the allotted time.

The department confirmed it has issued 49,583 tourist visas in 2009, 75,008 visas in 2010, and 33,473 visas so far during the first four months of this year.

The meeting recommended the preparation of a standard form for licensing tour operators. It also called for a detailed explanation of the activities of the tourist company in the license issued by the Department of Economic Development.