RIYADH, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia launched on Friday the e-tourist visa, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Announced in a ceremony to mark the World Tourism Day in Riyadh, the first phase of the new service would cover citizens of 49 countries, in which they could obtain their visas via the website or on arrival.
The ceremony, organised by the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage, highlighted that according to national tourism strategy, the kingdom would receive more than 100 million visitors in 2030, compared with 41 million individuals at present.
The initiative is part of plans for Saudi Arabia to be among the first five countries in the number of tourists in the world by 2030 with revenues of 10 percent of the GDP rather than the current 3 percent, along with the creation of 1.6 million job opportunities.
The commission chairman, Ahmed Al Khateeb, told the ceremony that the service doesn't cover tourists only, but investors as well, revealing the attraction of 30.6 billion U.S. dollars of investments in tourism projects until now.
