By Innovation-sa on January 14, 2018 in News
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) announced that women over 25 years of age will be granted tourist visa to travel to Saudi Arabia provided that she is part of a tourist group. However, it is mandatory for women under 25 to be accompanied by a family member.
Tourism agencies arranging visits to Saudi Arabia must be licensed by the pertinent authority of its country. Tour operators in the Kingdom must be licensed by SCTH and are responsible to receive tourists, supervise their stay and departure, provide at least one tour guide from the Kingdom who speaks the language of the tourists and educate tourists about the Saudi traditions and laws prior to their arrival. Tourists visiting the Kingdom are advised to respect the Saudi traditions, laws and customs.
Moreover, if a tourism agency cancels a tour or leaves behind more than 100 people after their visas have been issued, then such agencies will be reported to the ministry of interior and foreign affairs and will be banned from organizing tourism packages to the Kingdom.
Tourist visas issued by the Kingdom will be single-entry visa with a validity of 30 days and it will be independent of work, visit, Hajj and Umrah visas, said Omar Al-Mubarak, director general of SCTH’s licensing department. He added that executive regulations for tourist visas have been finalized and the commission’s IT department is currently developing an electronic system for the issuance of tourist visas, in coordination with the representatives of National Information Center and Foreign Ministry.
With the growth of its tourism sector, Kingdom aims to create more job opportunities and diversify its revenue beyond oil and thereby contribute to Saudi Arabia’s dream program Vision 2030.
Source
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/526107/SAUDI-ARABIA/Female-tourists-cant-visit-Saudi-Arabia-alone