Saudi Arabia will introduce tourist visas for citizens of 49 countries.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia said on Friday that the country would start issuing tourist visas for people who want to visit it. The facilities will cover citizens of 49 countries. Tourist visas can be granted to people going to sporting events or concerts for a year.
Until 2018, Saudi Arabia did not issue tourist visas and allowed entry to its territory only for those arriving for business purposes, for work or for pilgrimage to holy sites of Islam . Plans to introduce tourist visas have been discussed many times in the past, but have always been blocked by conservative religious elites.
The change of approach took place at the initiative of the successor to the throne, Mohamed bin Salman, who would like to diversify Saudi Arabia's sources of income based almost exclusively on the sale of oil.
Opening the country to foreign tourists is one of the key elements of the "2030 Vision" reform program, prepared by a team of experts working on behalf of the heir to the throne. This program is to prepare the monarchy for the transition from the raw material economy towards innovation.
"The opening of Saudi Arabia to the outside world and international tourists is a historic moment for our country " - said the head of the state agency for tourism Ahmed al-Khateeb on Friday.
He reminded that there are five UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the territory of the country :
- Al Hijr archaeological site,
- al-Turaif fortress in Riyadh,
- gateway to Mecca in the city of Jeddah,
- rock art in the Hail region,
- pilgrimage route from Kufa to Mecca called Darb Zubajda.
He also expressed the hope that, apart from antiquity monuments, tourists would also be interested in the local customs and traditions of Saudi Arabian society.
Mecca and Medina are not available for tourists
AFP points out that according to the regulations, the holy cities of Islam - Mecca and Medina are not available to tourists who are not Muslims. Most likely, the ban on individual tourists visiting Mecca for Western tourists will be maintained.
Turn
However, according to the announcements of the Saudi authorities, tourists coming from Western countries will no longer be obliged to cover their heads and put on traditional women's clothing modeled on Saudi women . Clothes in which they will appear in public will have to be modest and moderate . This is the only condition - noted al-Khateeb.
The AFP agency notes that the announcement of the intention to issue tourist visas appeared two weeks after the attack on petrochemical installations in this country. The attacks have proved that diversifying the economy and moving it to another path is a condition of survival.
A new tourist hit?
The authorities of Saudi Arabia predict that by 2020 tourism revenues will increase from USD 27.9 billion to 46.6 billion. In addition, a bathing program and 50 luxury resorts on the pristine coast of the Red Sea began in 2017.
It is possible that the new visa regulations will also apply to Poland - on the website of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Warsaw there is a shortcut to the electronic tourist visa form with an annotation that this way will soon be available.
The first pilot electronic visas were introduced before the Diriyah E Prix in Riyadh in December 2018 and entitled them to move freely in the limited territory of Saudi Arabia before and after the event.
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