Lack of visa halts Prince’s
vacation in St. Maarten
AIRPORT--Despite having diplomatic passports, His Highness the Heir Apparent of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and his entourage were refused entry at Princess Juliana International Airport by Immigration officials Tuesday evening because the group did not have visas for the Netherlands Antilles.
After sitting in his plane for almost three hours, the pilot took to the runway again and charted a flight back to Rhode Island, USA. The entire delegation had European Union visas, Roland van Grieken of Caribbean Exotica.com told The Daily Herald.
Van Grieken tried to reach several officials, including Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards and Airport President Eugene Holiday, to see what exemption could be made for the Prince and his group. However, his efforts were unsuccessful. He added that when people of this calibre wanted to visit the island, efforts should be made to facilitate the visiting royal.
“After all, tourism is our business and when VIPs like this come to our island we should see what can be done for them. Once these people leave they are not coming back here again.”
Contacted by this newspaper, Head of Immigration at the airport Geronimo Juliet said the rule was that nationals of Qatar required visas and if they did not have them, nothing could be done for the group.
The ironic part of the scenario was that the Prince could have gained entry to the island if his jet had landed at Grand Case Airport, because his EU visa would have been valid for the French side.
To try to smooth over matters, Van Grieken tried to arrange an alternative for the prince, but Hamad Al Thani flew back to Rhode Island.
Hamad Al Thani and his eight-person entourage were booked to stay at The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa for a week. During this time, the prince had appointments to view several properties on the island with the intention of making a purchase.
Qatar, a member of the United Arab Emirates, has one of the world’s largest oil and natural gas reserves. The royal family is extremely wealthy.
