Saudis welcome world: ?We?re not just oil traders?

[ahlam1399]

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will begin issuing tourist visas in the first quarter of 2018, its top tourism official said, a first for the kingdom as it undergoes major economic and social reforms.Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz told AFP that ?all government approvals? are in place for the launch of electronic visas next year to ?all nationals whose countries allow their citizens to visit? the Gulf state. ?We are now just preparing the regulations ? who is eligible for the visas and how to obtain them,? added the head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, who is a son of King Salman. ?The kingdom is a very big treasure. People know it only in the narrowest possible terms,? Prince Sultan said, describing the vast country?s mountains, beaches and hundreds of islands along the Red Sea coast. ?We?re not just oil traders,? he added, an outlook in line with that of the powerful crown prince who is working to revamp perceptions of the kingdom. There will be ?guidelines? for the tourism sector, however. ?We do not want to lose or give up our culture and our local values,? said Prince Sultan. Apart from the millions of Muslims who travel to Saudi Arabia annually for the hajj pilgrimage, most visitors face an arduous process and steep fees. Saudi Arabia currently grants tourist visas for a limited number of countries, but even those applications involve a range of restrictions, including requirements to travel through an accredited company and stay at designated hotels.

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