Earlier today, the Saudi Kingdom announced new policies to attract tourists and investors to the closed-off ultra-conservative country in hopes of reducing the kingdom's financial dependency on oil.
The President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, said the Saudi government will be relaxing its immigration rules and will now allow people to apply for tourists visas to the ultra-conservative country. Normally, the type of foreigners visiting the Saudi Kingdom has been limited to resident workers and their dependents, business travelers, and Muslims on pilgrimage to Mecca or Medina.
Under the new immigration rules, women will now be allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia unaccompanied by their male spouse or escort. Women won't be required to wear an abaya, which is a long black covering, nor will they have to be segregated from men in public places. Modest dressing, meaning no short skirts or pants, is still a must.
The ban on alcohol remains in place, and foreigners who aren't of Muslim faith still won't be allowed to visit the country's holy cities.
Only a handful of countries will be allowed to apply for the tourist visa. So far, nationals from 49 countries, including the U.S, China, Japan, and most of Europe, will be eligible to apply. The Saudi's are expected to announce an extended list of who is and who isn't eligible for the new program, tomorrow.
The visas are expected to cost 80$.
By: Niza Nondo
Comments