aSaudi Arabia on Friday said it was offering tourist visas for the first time, opening up the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom to holidaymakers as part of a push to diversify its economy away from oil, reports BSS/AFP.
The kingdom also eased its strict dress code for foreign women, allowing them to go without the body-shrouding abaya robe that is still mandatory public wear for Saudi women, as authorities open up one of the last frontiers of global tourism.
The push comes just under two weeks after devastating attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure — blamed by Washington on Iran — which roiled global energy markets and raised fears of a wider regional conflict.
‘We make history’ today, tourism chief Ahmed al-Khateeb said before an official gala to mark the launch in Diriyah, a historical site near Riyadh. ‘For the first time, we are opening our country to tourists from all over the world.’
Citizens from 49 countries are eligible for online e-visas or visas on arrival, including the United States, Australia and several European nations, the statement said. Kickstarting tourism is one of the centrepieces of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform programme to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post-oil era.
But the conservative country, which forbids alcohol and is notorious for sex segregation, is seen as an unlikely destination for global tourists aside from Muslim pilgrims visiting holy sites in Mecca and Medina.
Tourism authorities have repeatedly said that Saudi Arabia will not permit alcohol.
But Khateeb said there will be no restrictions on unaccompanied foreign women, who will also not be obliged to publicly wear an abaya although they will be expected to dress modestly.
Men and women must avoid ‘tight fitting clothing’ or clothes with ‘profane language or images’, read an instruction on an English language website launched by the tourism authority.
‘Women should cover shoulders and knees in public,’ it said.
– ‘Saudi is opening’ –
The relative easing of the dress code for foreign women is unlikely to go down well with Saudi women, who are required to wear an abaya in public even though many have long demanded an end to the restriction. In a new sign of cultural rebellion, some Saudi women have stopped wearing the item despite the risk of provoking arch-conservatives.
Visas in the desert kingdom, endowed with rich bedouin heritage and archaeological sites, had until now been restricted to expat workers, their dependents and the Muslim pilgrims travelling to Islam’s holiest sites.
Riyadh last year began issuing temporary visas to visitors to attend sporting and cultural events.
In an effort to change perceptions, Prince Mohammed has relaxed some of the kingdom’s most rigid rules — lifting a ban on cinemas and women drivers while allowing gender-mixed concerts and sporting extravaganzas.
‘Saudi Arabia is opening. We are opening our economy.
