Easier visa rules attract 50,000 tourists to Saudi Arabia

As Saudi Arabia launched its very first Tourist Visa, it also made the visa rules easier. The new and easier visa rules became effective from September this year.

Easing the visa rules helped Saudi Arabia attract 50,000 visitors to the desert kingdom. The country now hopes that as more tourists visit Saudi Arabia, the country will be able to diversify from its oil-dependent economy.

Britain topped the list with the most number of visitors, confirmed Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. China was next.

As per Mr Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia received more than 140,000 Tourist Visa applications. He says that the figures were in line with the country’s expectations.

Saudi Arabia launched its first Tourist Visa in September this year. Citizens of over 49 countries, including the US, UK, China, Russia and Japan, were eligible to apply for the new Tourist Visa.

Saudi Arabia is trying to encourage foreign companies to invest in the tourism sector in the kingdom. Saudi expects its tourism industry to contribute at least 10% to the GDP by 2030.

Mr Al-Khateeb also said that under the new rules, foreign women who visit the kingdom would not need to wear the body-shrouding Abaya. However, they will still be needed to be modest in their dressing, covering their shoulders and knees even if they are at the beach.

You can apply for the Saudi Arabia Tourist Visa online or through the diplomatic and consular missions of the country. The visa fee is approximately $120 inclusive of health insurance.

The maximum stay period on the new Tourist Visa is 90 days.

Y-Axis offers a wide range of visa and immigration services as well as products to the aspiring overseas immigrants including Y-International Resume 0-5 yrs, Y-International Resume (Senior Level) 5+ yrs, Y Jobs, Y-Path, Resume Marketing Services One State and One Country.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

If you found this blog engaging, you may also like…

SAUDI ARABIA ISSUES OVER 1 MILLION UMRAH VISAS THIS YEAR