Saudi Arabia to issue tourist visas in 2018

First tourist visas are to be issued in 2018, according to Prince Sultan bin Salman, head of the Saudi tourism and national heritage commission.

Saudi Arabia aims to increase tourism spending in the country from 27.9 billion USD in 2015 to 46.6 billion USD in 2020. It seeks to attract not only foreign but also local tourists. This is because Saudi Arabians spend a total of 20 billion USD a year on tourism overseas. Developing tourism is a part of "Saudi Vision 2030", in which Saudi Arabia reduces reliance on oil and diversifies its economy.