Arab News, Tuesday, Jan 04, 2022 | Jamada Al-Aakhirah 01, 1443
Saudi Arabia launches e-visa service for cruise tourists
Saudi Arabia:
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched
an e-visa service for cruise tourists.
Through Twitter, the ministry on Sunday said that
the e-visa would be issued to people arriving in Saudi Arabia via cruises, and
that applications could be filed through its electronic platform.
Proof of a cruise ticket purchase is required to
apply for the visa, it added. Applications will then be processed before a visa
is issued through the ministry’s digital embassy platform.
Tourism plays a crucial role in the Kingdom’s
Vision 2030 plan for economic diversification.
As a result, Saudi authorities plan to invest up
to $200 billion and welcome 100 million visitors by 2030. Vision 2030 aims to
increase the tourism sector’s contribution to gross domestic product to 10
percent.
Part of the Kingdom’s strategy involves job
creation and the construction of additional tourism facilities, including
hotels.
Last month, the Madinah-based University of Prince
Mugrin signed a deal with Cruise Saudi, an affiliate of the Public Investment
Fund, to train national cadres in the tourism field.
Under the deal, young Saudis will be offered
professional programs in various tourism specializations. It aims to develop the
capabilities of the local workforce in the cruise industry, tourism and
hospitality sectors. Cruise Saudi aims to create 50,000 direct and indirect jobs
by 2035.
Similarly, Saudia, the Kingdom’s national airline,
signed an agreement last November with MSC Cruises and Cruise Saudi to provide
20,000 seats on its flights from Europe and North America to Jeddah.
Military personnel and civil servants are working
round the clock at Jeddah’s Red Sea Operations Center to provide tourist yachts
with entry licenses. The multi-agency center assists foreign yacht owners and
local agents in both Arabic and English, enabling them to enter Saudi waters.
It comes as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman’s plan to reinforce tourism through marine activities, Cmdr. Hasan
Al-Asmari, the manager of the center, told Arab News.