From 28 September 2019, visitors from 49 countries including the UK will be able to obtain a tourist visa to visit Saudi Arabia. Tourism Minister, Ahmed al-Khateeb, called it a “historic moment” for the country, which has only previously allowed pilgrims, expatriates, and businesses to visit the Kingdom.
The Kingdom has implemented these plans to diversify the economy and increase the economic contribution of tourism from 3% to 10% of GDP by 2030. Saudi’s 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites will be opened to attract tourists and it is hoped to increase visitors to 100 million annually. Large investments into Saudi tourism infrastructure include the Red Sea Development Company and Qiddiya “entertainment city”.
Source: https://www.saudiembassy.net/news/saudi-arabia-passes-historic-visa-reforms-granting-international-travelers-ability-visit-saudi
