Saudi Arabia to lift travel ban for vaccinated citizens

By Nina Done 4 May 2021

In a recent welcome announcement by ministry officials, Saudi Arabia is set to open its land, sea and air borders with effect from 17 May 2021, potentially heralding an uptick of Saudi citizens looking for luxury yacht charter vacations, especially in light of the latest European Union's executive recommendation that "vaccinated foreign citizens and those coming from low risk countries be allowed to travel into the bloc without additional restrictions".

All citizens will be free to travel so long as they provide evidence of either receiving one single or two vaccine doses at least two weeks prior to travel, or have had the virus in the last 6 months. In addition, citizens under the age of 18 are also permitted to travel free of any restrictions. Proof must be provided via the government's Tawakkalna app.

The decision to lift the suspension on citizens traveling outside Saudi Arabia will go into effect at 1am on 17 May."

It is expected that reciprocal travel will be allowed into the Kingdom, with the exception of those countries still on the "red list", where the current travel ban will remain in place until further notice.

Saudi citizens are already gearing up for international travel, with online travel platform Skyscanner reporting a huge increase in global flight searches from the kingdom. With the recent EU announcement lifting travel restrictions for vaccinated foreign visitors, this will undoubtedly lead to an increased interest in luxury yacht charter vacations around the Mediterranean this summer.

Yacht charters around the Mediterranean

Yachts anchored in a sheltered cove in Greece

The Mediterranean has long been a popular luxury charter yacht destination amongst the glitterati, where you can rub shoulders with the world's rich and famous in some of the most beautiful surroundings on the planet. From the uber glamorous French Riviera, to the breathtaking tranquil beauty of the Greek islands, the possibilities for dream yacht charter vacations are simply endless in this spectacular and diverse region.

If you're interested in booking a yachting vacation, you can take a look at the full fleet of available charter yachts in the Mediterranean.

For more information, please speak with your preferred yacht charter broker.