Saudi Arabia Opens Doors to Tourists from All Over The World, Attracts SR 115 Billion

Saudi Press Agency

Friday 1441/1/28 - 2019/09/27

Riyadh, Sep 27, 2019, SPA -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the opening of its doors to tourists from all over the world and the launch of the e-tourist visa.

This came during a ceremony organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) here today.

The ceremonial event coincided with the World Tourism Day and was attended by a large number of international tourism makers and investors in the presence of the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili and President and CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

In a speech addressing the attendees, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SCTH, Ahmad Al-Khateeb said "The Kingdom at this historical moment opens its doors to the world. Of course, we are a people welcoming the visitor and honoring the guest, so emanating from this point, tourists will see that hospitality, hospitality, generosity, beauty of nature and civilization depth as important elements in our country,"

He further said "Tonight, we don't only open our doors to visitors, but we also welcome investors (business women and men) in the sector, where the great opportunities available to invest in the areas of tourism, and we are thus fulfilling the Kingdom's Vision 2030 under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"I am pleased to announce the attraction of SR 115 billion so far and this confirms the global confidence in the strength of the Saudi market and its promising opportunities," Al-Khateeb added.

Moreover, the SCTH Chairman Al-Khateeb explained that since the launch of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, we have started to work hard to become a global tourist destination, coinciding with the launch of major tourism projects and the adoption of incentive regulations for investment in the tourism sector, including the Cabinet's approval of the general strategy for the national tourism development.

He further said "The sites registered on the list of World Heritage, represent some of the Kingdom's rich cultural heritage and scenic tourist sites, pointing out that there are more than 10,000 historical sites that are also promising investment opportunities."

Upon the announcement of the Kingdom's reception of tourists, it is now available to all countries of the world to obtain a tourist visa. In the first phase, citizens of 49 countries will be able to get an electronic visa through the website or upon arrival in the Kingdom.

According to the National Tourism Strategy, the Kingdom will receive 100 million visits per year by 2030, compared to about 41 million at present.

By 2030, the Kingdom will be one of the top five countries receiving foreign tourists from all over the world, with revenues of up to 10% instead of the current 3% of gross national income, while the number of jobs in the sector of tourism will reach 1,600,000 jobs compared to just 600,000 jobs right now.

--SPA
00:40 LOCAL TIME 21:40 GMT
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