Till date, Saudi Arabia has allowed millions of Muslims to visit the country on religious pilgrimages but now it plans to open its doors to majority of tourists by starting to offer tourist visas.Published on : Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Till date, Saudi Arabia has allowed millions of Muslims to visit the country on religious pilgrimages but now it plans to open its doors to majority of tourists by starting to offer tourist visas.
Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly one of the most restrictive countries in the world, but now it seems to be opening up gradually for diverse tourists.
Tourist visas would be made available to willing travellers from this month. The electronic passes will be given to ‘all nationals whose countries allow their citizens to visit’ in order to further modernize the desert country’s global image and boost the economy.
Issuing of tourist visas are part of wider social reform under Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. It is hoped that this initiative will double the number of annual visitors to 30 million by 2030. Contrarily, issuing of tourist visas is expected to bring an additional $54billion (£39billion) by 2020.
The overhaul is an integral part of Prince Salman’s Vision 2030 plan, which will ultimately make the nation less dependent on oil.
To quote the Crown Prince, “We recognize that Allah the Almighty has bestowed on our lands a gift more precious than oil. Our Kingdom is the Land of the Two Holy Mosques, the most sacred sites on earth, and the direction of the Kaaba (Qibla) to which more than a billion Muslims turn at prayer.”
Tourist highlights are likely to include the Great Mosque of Mecca, archaeological site Mada’in Saleh and the Al Fanateer Beach.
Tags: Saudi Arabia to open its doors to the world