Travel of Saudi citizens to the United States will decline due to new security measures now imposed on travelers from nations considered by the US as sponsors of terrorism. “Our citizens, particularly the parents and relatives of the some 40,000 Saudis studying at various universities in the US, frequently travel there to visit students. Now they will be extremely concerned about these so-called special scrutiny measures,” said Abdulla Abo Khamseen, executive general manager of Kanoo Travel and a member of the executive committee of the travel industry sector at the Asharqia Chambers in the Eastern Province. He said parents and family members of Saudi students travel to the US at least once a year to visit and spend their holidays. Last year, around 200,000 Saudi citizens traveled to the US to visit their sons and daughters studying in US universities and colleges, according to Abo Khamseen. Although the Kingdom was not directly cited as a state sponsoring terrorism, it has been classified among “countries of interest,” consisting of Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Yemen, whose citizens will face special scrutiny at American ports of entry. Citizens of Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, which are considered “state sponsors of terrorism,” will face special scrutiny in their travel to the US. Passport holders from these 14 countries taking flights that originated or passed through any of these countries will be required to undergo a full-body pat down and special attention will be given to their carry-on bags before they can board a plane bound to the United States. According to Abo Khamseen, the change in the reception at US airports for Saudi travelers as a result of the new restrictions has resulted in a hesitation to travel to the US at present. “Many citizens have now adopted a wait-and-see attitude as far as their travel to the US is concerned,” he said. He said the listing of the Kingdom among the so-called “countries of interest” is not encouraging at all since the US has started giving visas of five-to-ten-year validity to Saudi citizens, particularly students, businessmen, and tourists. “Students taking degree courses are normally given five years visas, while those taking postgraduate courses get three year visas. The tightening of security measures that will affect our students and their relatives will cause our citizens to wonder whether it is wise to travel to America at this time. US tourism will suffer a further setback,” Abo Khamseen said. He said the difficulty of obtaining visas discourages businessmen and students, including those applying to pursue graduate programs. “This is another problem Saudis traveling to the America have to face, in addition to now receiving ‘special attention' before boarding the plane and upon arriving in the US.”
