Riyadh, Saudi Arabia— In order to boost the travel and tourism industry in the kingdom, Saudi Arabia will offer instant e-visa options to visitors, facilitating UK, US, and Schengen visa holders, as well as permanent residents of UK, US, and any EU country to obtain tourist e-visas.
Saudi Arabia had previously extended regulation to provide visas on arrival to the six categories, this is just the latest step as the kingdom makes it easier than ever for visitors to experience the authentic home of Arabia and contribute to Saudi’s vision of reaching 100 million visits annually by 2030.
Since opening to tourism in 2019, the kingdom has become one of the fastest-growing tourism markets globally, recording 93.5 million visits in 2022. This achievement is a result of the tremendous efforts of destinations across the kingdom in providing visitors with unparalleled experiences and a seamless travel journey.
The Saudi Tourism Authority is accelerating efforts to make it easier for visitors from across the world to travel to Saudi Arabia. Through digitization, Saudi Arabia is increasing accessibility and connectivity, providing simplified entry routes to visitors, focused on enabling all travelers to enjoy our natural and cultural diversity.
The new instant e-visa is among several initiatives that the kingdom has launched over the past year to improve the visitor experience.
In 2022, the Saudi Tourism Authority launched the Nusuk platform in collaboration with the Pilgrim Experience Program. Nusuk, Saudi’s first ever official integrated digital platform, provides pilgrims and visitors an easy-to-use planning gateway for their journeys to Makkah, Madinah, and beyond.
Saudi Arabia has previously extended regulation to provide visas on arrival to holders of valid US, UK, and Schengen visas as well as permanent residents of UK, US, and any EU country and e-visa eligibility was extended to residents of the GCC.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia also announced the launch of a new Stopover Visa. Free-of-charge and available to passengers travelling on SAUDIA and flynas, the visa is open to an even greater number of countries than the historic tourism e-visa and will allow visitors to stay in the country for up to 96 hours.
The kingdom is an under-discovered destination with a rich cultural tradition and a great deal to offer. In Diriyah, the birthplace of Saudi Arabia, travelers can experience the luxury shopping and fine dining of Bujairi Terrace and at the UNESCO World Heritage site in AlUla, immerse in a living museum holding over 200,000 years of human history.
In Jeddah, visitors can explore the old historical district, Al Balad and this year, the world’s most ambitious luxury tourism destination, the Red Sea Development, will debut its first hotels including Six Senses, St. Regis and a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.