DAMMAM: The Saudi government has approved a plan to begin issuing tourist visas for the country, Al Watan newspaper reported yesterday. The paper’s sources stated that, in the first stage of the rollout, visas will only be available to groups of visitors through authorized tour operators.
Jamal Al-Fakhri, a member of the Shoura Council and the executive committee of Tabuk Tourism Development Council, told Al Watan that he hoped Tabuk would become “a destination for tourists in the region.”
He said that the Public Investment Fund (PIF) would help to promote tourism in Saudi Arabia, adding that tourism projects “with further diversify job opportunities” in the Kingdom.
“There are many (potential) tour guides who are multilingual and ready to work in the field after meeting the requirements set by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH),” he continued.
Rustam Al-Kubaisi, head of the SCTH’s Jizan branch, cited the Asir development project, the annual Souk Okaz in Ta’if, and the Farasan Islands as examples of tourism initiatives in the Kingdom, as well as museums and archaeological sites.
“The SCTH has been conducting tourism training workshops for the youth on topics including establishing small tourism projects and methods for increasing safety in tourism establishments,” he said. “This is in addition to raising awareness about the importance of relics, urban heritage and historical buildings.”
He added that the people of Jizan are renowned for their hospitality and are ready to welcome tourists from outside the Kingdom.
Saudi tourist visas will be available soon
Saudi tourist visas will be available soon
Saudi Arabia champions AI and sustainable growth at UN tourism meeting in Kuwait
- Saudi Tourism Minister says tourism today accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world economy, contributing about $10 trillion to global GDP
KUWAIT CITY: Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb has called for stronger international cooperation to build a tourism ecosystem that is integrated, resilient, and future-ready, the Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday.
In a opening address at the 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East in Kuwait City, he noted that tourism is “no longer a peripheral activity but a massive engine of economic development.”
“With an estimated contribution exceeding $10 trillion to global GDP, tourism today accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world economy,” said Al-Khateeb, speaking as president of the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly. The three-day conference opened on Feb. 10.
He pointed to the Middle East’s exceptional recovery, which recorded a 39 percent increase in international arrivals in 2025 compared to 2019, welcoming nearly 100 million visitors last year.
The minister highlighted Saudi Arabia’s driving force behind these regional statistics, noting that the Kingdom now represents approximately 30% of the Middle East tourism market in both visitor numbers and spending.
“We are proud that Saudi tourism’s uninterrupted growth has become a driving force for regional tourism, and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation with UN Tourism to share our expertise with the world,” he said.
Focus on AI
Addressing the meeting’s central theme of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Al-Khateeb emphasized the need for responsible innovation. He described AI as a key enabler for growth but stressed that the “human touch” defining the hospitality sector must be maintained and the workforce protected.
On the sidelines of the regional commission, the minister met with counterparts from across the region to explore ways to promote regional cooperation and alignment to enhance resilience and build tourism industries that can drive inclusive economic and social development.
Al-Khateeb also met with leading investors from Kuwait to discuss investments in the Kingdom’s tourism sector and explore new opportunities to leverage Saudi Arabia’s integrated investment ecosystem, designed to enable regional and international investors to achieve sustainable, long-term value.
The 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East is the first held in the region since the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly, hosted in Riyadh last November.
That assembly resulted in the historic “Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism,” which established a global consensus on sustainability, inclusive growth, and the responsible adoption of human-centric AI for the next fifty years.
