RIYADH – Saudi Arabia is exploring the issuance of electronic visas for visitors from Vietnam and discussing the prospect of reciprocal visa exemptions.
The discussion in this regard continues as both nations look to bolster their tourism sectors and during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Saudi Arabia, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung held talks with Princess Haifa bint Mohammed Al-Saud, who also serves as Deputy Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia.
The princess revealed the Saudi government’s intent to introduce e-visas for Vietnamese tourists and collaborations with local travel firms are also planned to tailor tourism packages for Vietnamese visitors who come from a different cultural background than Saudi Arabia.
Both Saudi Arabia and Vietnam also plan to operate direct flights between the nations and Prime Minister Chinh also expressed openness to considering direct flights as a means to enhance tourism and economic ties.
At present, there are no direct flights between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, with travel times ranging from 11 to 33 hours.
The talks for visa-free travel are at an advanced stage as Saudi Arabia has also presented a draft visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders to Vietnamese authorities.
Once ratified, this agreement will facilitate reciprocal visa exemptions for tourists from both nations.
As far as statistics are concerned, approximately 2,000 Saudi Arabians visit Vietnam annually and in 2019, only 600 Saudi tourists explored Vietnam, partly due to the travel restrictions in place.
As part of its efforts to diversify revenue streams, Saudi Arabia aims to attract over 100 million tourists by 2030, positioning tourism as the country’s second most significant revenue source after oil.
Saudi Arabia was hesitant to attract tourists but in September 2019, the kingdom formally introduced tourist visas and the initiative seems to have paid off. Last year alone, Saudi Arabia received over 90 million visitors, encompassing both international and domestic travelers and as part of Vision 2023, the nation is expected to promote tourist-friendly policies in the future as well.
