Kuwaiti visitors to UK surge

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KUWAIT CITY, Feb 13: British Ambassador to Kuwait Belinda Lewis revealed that February witnessed a high demand from Kuwaitis to visit her country; disclosing there are 19 direct flights weekly from Kuwait to London this month, in addition to three flights from Kuwait to Manchester – a route that opened in May 2022, reports Al-Rai daily In a statement to the daily, Lewis pointed out that this reflects the increasing number of Kuwaitis traveling to the United Kingdom for study and tourism purposes, compared to the period before the application of the electronic travel authorization (ETA).

She said thousands of Kuwaitis have applied for the ETA since its implementation at the beginning of the month. Lewis said: “As the Kuwaiti nationality is one of the first nationalities in the world to benefit from the issuance of ETA; we hope that Kuwaiti visitors will enjoy the beauty, culture and business opportunities that the United Kingdom has to offer. I know that many Kuwaitis are particularly attracted to London with an array of world-class dining, sporting events, theme parks, museums and more. But I encourage people to explore other areas of England too, including North England, as well as everything that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have to offer.”

She then pointed out that the visit of British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden to Kuwait last week, during which he attended a reception hosted by the embassy to launch the 2024 celebration of the 125th anniversary of the British-Kuwaiti partnership, was the first of many high-level visits this year.

She hopes to see many Kuwaiti officials traveling to the United Kingdom after the three visits made by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah last year, in addition to the trip of former Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Salem Al- Sabah to London to attend the inaugural strategic dialogue in March 2023. She also announced the visit of British Secretary of State for the Middle East Tariq Mahmood Ahmad, Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon, to Kuwait to co-chair the 20th meeting of the Kuwaiti-British Joint Steering Group along with Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Jarrah Al-Jaber. She disclosed that Lord Ahmad is scheduled to visit different locations throughout Kuwait.

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