Saudi Government Launches E-Visa for Cruise Visitors

Key Highlights:

• Overview
• E-Visa Service
• Vision 2030 Plan

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently launched an e-visa service for tourists entering the country through cruise ships. 

E-Visa Service

The announcement was made by the Kingdom’s Ministry on Sunday, saying that those visiting the country through cruises can file for the e-visa through its online application platform.

The applicant must furnish the cruise ticket as proof to apply for this visa. The Ministry will then process their application, and the visa will be issued through its digital embassy portal.

Vision 2030 Plan

Tourism plays a significant role in Saudi’s plans for economic diversification, as per its Vision 2030. Due to this, the government has planned to invest around $200 million to ensure the arrival of 100 million tourists by 2030.

A part of the Saudi Arabian government’s plan includes creating new jobs and constructing additional tourism facilities like hotels. 

As part of this plan, the University of Prince Mughrin, based in Madinah, signed a deal with Cruise Saudi in December to train national candidates in tourism and related fields. 

Through this deal, several professional programs in various specializations related to tourism will be provided to young Saudi citizens.

The deal focuses on developing the abilities of the domestic workforce in the tourism, hospitality, and cruise industries, with a target of creating over 50,000 jobs by 2035.