Jeddah: Saudi Arabia is one of the most saught after travel destinations for regional and international travellers and now the Kingdom’s tourism sector is gearing up the pace for the future by announcing several programs and initiatives, with the aim of raising the number of annual visits to 100 million visitors by 2030, 55 million of which are inbound, and 45 million domestic, providing 1 million job opportunities and an increase of 10 per cent of the country’s GDP.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 450,000 tourist visas were issued, since the Kingdom’s Tourism Authority launched the tourist visa program in 2019, by targeting 49 countries in the initial stage, and facilitated access to tourist visas electronically or through entry points to the Kingdom within specific regulatory controls.
The authority has prepared programs to attract tourism and has been activating tourism investment and the role of the private sector. The authority has also participated in local and international tourism exhibitions and has managed marketing destinations, sites, itineraries, products and tourist packages internally and externally.
Marketing and promotional campaigns for tourist destinations in the Kingdom have been launched, the last of which was the “Summer of Saudi Arabia” program, which was launched by the “Spirit of Saudi Arabia” platform under the slogan “Our Summer, Your Mood”, to promote 11 tourist destinations until the end of September, with more than 500 tourist experiences, provided by 250 private sector partners.
Tourism is one of the pillars of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, to contribute to diversifying the base of the national economy, attracting investments, increasing sources of income, and providing job opportunities for citizens, as the sector is witnessing rapid growth as a result of plans to promote the tourism sector.
In an effort to reach a new horizon for local tourism, cruise tours have started from Jeddah port to discover the treasures of the Red Sea, and include many packages that allow travellers to have fun during the summer vacation.
Courtesy: Arab News
