RIYADH: Citizens of Saudi Arabia can invite their Muslim friends abroad to the Kingdom to perform Umrah on "personal visit visa," the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has said.
Personal visas, which can be obtained online, can either be single entry or multiple entry, the ministry said in a tweet on Thursday.
Aside from performing Umrah rituals at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and visiting the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, visitors can also make trips to various tourism destinations in the Kingdom.
Applications for a personal visit visa can be made through the visa platform of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A single entry visa is valid for 90 days, while a multiple entry visa is valid for one year. A visitor with a multiple entry visa may stay in the Kingdom for up to 90 days with each visit.
On Friday, the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques announced it was ready to receive the first worshippers of this year’s Umrah season. The start of the Umrah pilgrimage is set at least a few weeks after Hajj to allow Hajj pilgrims to return home and avoid congestion in the holy places and airports.
Saudi Arabia has opened its historical sites and other cultural destinations as it develops its tourism industry as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 strategic plan launched in 2016.
The program's goal is to reduce the Kingdom’s reliance on oil exports and diversify its economy by developing and expanding into new industries and sectors.
Tourism is a key part of the strategy, with the Kingdom aiming to get 100 million visitors by 2030.
Under the plan, the tourism industry is expected to create more than 1 million jobs for the country's growing work force, and at the same time generate revenues for the economy.
A massive boost in spiritual tourism in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah is also planned, with the number of pilgrims expected to rise to 30 million by 2030.
