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October 06, 2019Saudi Arabia has announced that it will allow unmarried foreign couples to sleep in the same hotel room as part of the opening of the kingdom to tourist visas for the first time.Furthermore, in a statement published on Twitter, the tourism authority also communicates that Saudi women traveling alone - and not just foreign women - will be allowed to stay in hotels by presenting a valid ID. In the past, couples who wanted to stay in hotels had to prove that they were married. "Now it is no longer required for tourists", explains the Saudi authority for tourism.
On September 27, Saudi Arabia announced that it is opening its doors to tourists, with the aim of diversifying its economy, dependent on oil. Previously the kingdom issued only visas for Muslim pilgrims, foreign workers and recently for spectators of sporting and cultural events. Opening up to tourism is one of the central points of the Vision 2030 reform program of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to prepare the largest Arab economy for a post-oil era.
Now the citizens of 49 countries have the right to request electronic visas online or visas upon arrival in Saudi Arabia: among these countries there are the USA, Australia and several European states. On 28 September, however, Saudi authorities warned that tourists who violate public decency will face fines, with attitudes that include public demonstrations of affection and clothing deemed to be unseemly.