Ryad (AFP)
Saudi Arabia announced Friday that it will issue for the first time tourist visas, opening its doors to holidaymakers in order to diversify its resources, for the time completely dependent on oil.
Until now, the ultraconservative realm has issued visas only to pilgrims, expatriates and, recently, to spectators of sporting events or cultural events.
The development of tourism is one of the main axes of the "Vision 2030" reform program of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which aims to prepare the largest Arab economy for a post-oil era.
The announcement comes just two weeks after devastating attacks on several Saudi oil infrastructure, blamed by Washington on Iran and shook the global energy markets.
"Opening Saudi Arabia to international tourists is a historic moment for our country," Ahmed al-Khateeb, director of tourism, said in a statement. "Visitors will be surprised to discover the treasures we have to share: five Unesco World Heritage Sites, a vibrant local culture and breathtaking natural beauty".
Saudi Arabia will offer online tourist visas to citizens of 49 countries, according to Bloomberg News, which quotes Ahmed al-Khateeb.
- Clothing rules relaxed -
He said the kingdom would loosen the dress code for foreign women and allow them to walk without carrying the abaya, the traditional dress mandatory in public for Saudi women. However, foreign visitors will have to wear "modest clothes", he added.
The austere kingdom, which prohibits alcohol and where social standards are very strict, is generally not considered a very "sell" destination for tourism. But Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to change this perception and has already instilled several liberal reforms that have allowed the opening of cinemas and the organization of concerts or sports events in the country.
International critics of human rights abuses in the kingdom, including last year's bloody murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, may also chill foreign tourists, experts fear.
For a long time, Saudi Arabia issued visas only for expatriate workers and their families, as well as for Muslim pilgrims traveling to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina. It began last year to issue visas for spectators of sports events or concerts in order to already begin to develop the tourism sector.
The government, which faces fairly low oil prices, hopes tourism will grow and account for 10% of Saudi gross domestic product by 2030.
Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars trying to build a tourism industry from scratch.
In 2017, the kingdom announced a multi-billion dollar project to transform 50 islands and other virgin Red Sea sites into luxury beach resorts. The country is also developing archaeological sites like Madain Saleh, which houses sandstone tombs of the same civilization as the one that built the famous Jordanian ancient city of Petra.
© 2019 AFP