For the first time, Saudi Arabia is officially opening its doors to tourists interested in visiting the kingdom for more than religious reasons. The ultraconservative Middle Eastern kingdom announced a new e-visa program on Friday that will allow people from 49 countries to enter the country for tourism, for stays as long as three months.
The visa program is an aspect of an economic reform plan introduced by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, to lower the kingdom’s dependence on oil.
“The Saudis already have experience with outsiders coming in as religious tourists, but tourism for culture, ecology, desert — that’s new and it’s part of the project for opening up,” said Bernard Haykel, a scholar at Princeton University who studies the kingdom. “It’s not going to displace oil, but it’s a dent in that direction.”
Visas were previously restricted to expatriates and business people working in the country, and for Muslims traveling to the kingdom for the Hajj, the five-day pilgrimage Muslims from around the world make to follow the Prophet Muhammad’s footsteps and for Umrah, a smaller religious trip.
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Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in the world, adhering to a strict interpretation of Islam, and is considered as particularly harsh to women who are seen as breaking religious rules.
The announcement of the visa program comes one week before the one-year anniversary of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist critical of the government, and during a time when the kingdom’s treatment of women’s rights activists has garnered international condemnation.
Saudi is home to 13 regions, each with a distinctive cultural tradition. The Kingdom also has five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, they are:
. Madain Saleh in Al-Ula, the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan.
. At-Turaif District in Ad-Diriyah, the first capital of the Saudi state.
. Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah, characterized by a distinctive architectural tradition.
. Rock Art in the Hail Region, showing 10,000-year old inscriptions of human and animal figures.
. Al-Ahsa Oasis, with 2.5 million date palms the largest oasis in the world.
It is also home to flourishing contemporary culture, with highlights that include:
. The King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture in Dhahran
. The modernist sculpture park along the Corniche in Jeddah
. The Jameel House of Traditional Arts in Jeddah
. Nassif House in Jeddah’s Historical District
. The annual Flowerman Festival in Asir
. The Winter at Tantora festival in Al-Ula
. The Red Sea International Film Festival launching in March 2020
. Contemporary Saudi cuisine by Ali bin Yousef in Riyadh
. The art of Zahrah Al-Ghamdi, whose work is displayed at this year’s Venice Biennale
Saudi Arabia also boasts a surprisingly diverse range of landscapes, including the green mountains of Asir, the crystal waters of the Red Sea, the snow-covered winter plains of Tabuk and the shifting sands of the Empty Quarter.
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