Riyadh – Mubasher: The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) has received 200,000 visitor visa applications within 65 days, the commission's Vice President, Princess Haifa bint Mohamed Al Saud, said on Tuesday during the 2020 Budget Forum, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Finance.
The Kingdom has a total of 10,000 natural reserves and touristic sites, said the VP of SCTH, adding that four destinations with 15 sites have been chosen to be presented to investors with various programs for visitors.
She further emphasised that SCTH eyes recording 100 million visits by 2030, not 100 million vacationers, with the number of direct jobs created amounting to 1 million by 2030, compared to a baseline of 620,000 jobs.
The tourism commission has signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the private sector worth a total of SAR 100 million.
It is noteworthy that the kingdom began issuing tourist visas as of 27 September 2019, allowing visa-free entry for visitors from 49 countries.
