Saudi Arabia sees tourist visa applications soar

Wednesday, 06 Nov, 2019 0

Tourism visa applications to Saudi Arabia have boomed since the secretive kingdom announced in late September that it was opening its doors to more foreign visitors.

The country’s tourism boss Majed M Alghanim said it has received 77,000 applications for its £98 e-visa in the first month since it was introduced for tourists from 49 countries.

Despite still reeling from the fallout of the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 and continued criticism over its human rights record, the country has been pressing on with its ambitious Vision 2030 tourism strategy that is targeting 100 million visitors a year by 2030.

That strategy saw the Kingdom’s tourism industry stake its presence at World Travel Market this week, where it was one of the biggest exhibitors in the Middle Eastern sector with an 800 square meter stand and eight participating tourism companies and bodies.

Included was the Red Sea Development Company that plans a resort area the size of Belgium using 200 km of coastline and 90 natural islands.

"Our ambition is to create a luxury tourism destination that is built around nature and culture. But in so doing, we want to set new standards in sustainable development, and put Saudi Arabia on the global tourism map," said project CEO John Pagano.

In addition, the luxury Aman Group is set to open three hotels in Alula, which is close to the monumental tombs of Madein Saleh.

The recent e-visa introduction was accompanied by a relaxation of rules for tourists, including allowing non-married visiting couples to share hotel rooms, and rumours abound of a change in laws to allow foreign visitors to drink alcohol in resorts.

Linsey McNeill

Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk

If you’re thinking of cruising, there’s a very good chance you’re considering a Carnival cruise. Growing since our founding in...

Our leadership is bold. Our agility thrives on open innovation and we embrace the new, whether it’s diversity, trends, challenges....

Located in the Mediterranean and connecting Asia and European continents that are separated by the famous Bosphorus, Türkiye is a...

Traveltek is the world-leading provider of online solutions for the travel trade, from consumer-facing websites to call centre applications. We...

Chargebacks911 offers scalable solutions that are customized for any business of any size in any industry. With the flexibility to...

River cruising is a treat for the senses, allowing you to see, touch, feel and experience the world like never...

Family-owned Olympic Holidays has been arranging holidays to Greece, the Greek islands and Cyprus for more than half century. The company is unrivalled...

We are a small-group adventure travel operator offering more than 750 tours in 100 countries, on all seven continents. Our...

In the heart of Europe, in one of the most innovative cities in the world, at the centre of business,...

Nium was founded on the mission to build the global payments infrastructure of tomorrow, today. With the onset of the on-demand...

Welcome to Qatar Airways Qatar Airways is proud to be one of the youngest global airlines to serve all...

From the beginning, ATI’s philosophy has been “innovation, not duplication.“ Developing specialized technology solutions to connect over 30,000 accommodation, attracti...

ECOMMPAY is an international payment service provider and direct bank card acquirer, engineering bespoke payment solutions for clients worldwide. Our...