Saudi Arabia said on Friday it will offer tourist visas for the first time, opening up the kingdom to holidaymakers as part of a push to diversify its economy away from oil. “Opening Saudi Arabia to international tourists is a historic moment for our country,” tourism chief Ahmed al-Khateeb said in a statement. Prince Mohammed is seeking to change that through a sweeping liberalisation drive that has brought new cinemas, mixed-gender concerts and sporting extravaganzas to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia last year began issuing visas to visitors to attend sporting and cultural events in a bid to kickstart tourism. Saudi Arabia has splurged billions in an attempt to build a tourism industry from scratch.

Source: The Hindu September 27, 2019 01:15 UTC