RIYADH – The government of Saudi Arabia is exploring the option of allowing Chinese tourists to visit the kingdom without the need for a visa.
Gloria Guevara, chief special advisor to Saudi Arabia’s tourism minister confirmed that the country was exploring the possibility of visa-free entry for Chinese.
In an interview with Ciaxin, the official said that the Chinese market was very important for Saudi Arabia, without giving any exact details of how and when visa-free entry would be allowed to Beijing.
The authorities in Saudi Arabia are currently trying to shift the revenue sources away from oil as the natural resource is fast depleting, prompting the royals to find new sources of income.
The country has also made its laws conducive to tourism and is trying its luck in the aviation industry with the launch of a new airline Riyadh Air under the directives of ambitious Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS).
As part of Vision 2030, the government had set its sights on welcoming 100 million tourists per year but interestingly, the country crossed the mark in 2023, seven years in advance.
As far as China is concerned, the holy kingdom received 100,000 Chinese visitors last year and aims to boost the figure to 5 million by 2030.
Currently, the government is welcoming Muslims from across the world who have landed in the kingdom for Umrah purposes, and in June, the government will be welcoming pilgrims from across the world for the annual Hajj pilgrimage – a religious event that will attract over 2 million Muslim pilgrims from all the continents.
