Saudi Arabia is in theprocess of introducing new amendments to the visa regime that areexpected to cause a jump in the number of visitors to the Kingdom of SaudiArabia and consequently to revive the tourism sector, which willthen become one of the important financial and economic resources for Saudis.
"Saudi Arabia has a plan to facilitate the issuance of visas tocitizens of 50 countries around the world to stimulate tourism and increase thenumber of foreigners visiting the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their weekendsor annual holidays." the Bloomberg revealed.
Bloomberg quoted in its report three Saudi sources confirming that "thecitizens of these 50 countries will be able to issue visit visas easily, as ofthe end of September," while one source pointed out that it is currentlyreviewing the list of countries that will benefit from these Saudi facilities,pointing out that the list has not yet been finalized.
Saudi Arabia's Okaz newspaper was the first to reveal that theauthorities in Riyadh are working on a new visa regime, Bloomberg said,pointing out that citizens of these countries will have the ability to enterthe territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the purpose of visitingor tourism under visas applied online or obtained immediately as soon as arrivingat any of Saudi airports.
A spokesman for the Saudi Commission for Tourism and NationalHeritage said later that the information released by Okaz was not accurate,but noted that "the matter is being studied and no final decision has beentaken".
According to Bloomberg, visiting Saudi Arabia hasbeen limited to pilgrimage, Umrah, work or family reunification over the pastyears until Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman announced his ambitious plan todiversify the kingdom's economy, and then, in 2016, he began the development ofthe tourism sector as part of his economic plan.
Giant Projects
According to Bloomberg, the US economic news agency, thetourism projects that the Kingdom has begun to accomplish include turning thelong coast of the Red Sea into an attractive area for tourists and holidaymakers, as well as establishing an entertainment city near the capital, Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia first opened the door last year for foreigners toapply online for visas to participate in conferences or attend special eventsheld inside the country.
