RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can now invite their Muslim friends from across the globe to the Kingdom to perform Umrah,” the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has said.
The Saudis could invite others on personal visit visas which could be obtained online. Personal visas can either be single or multiple-entry, the Umrah ministry said in a tweet.
Besides performing Umrah rituals at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and visiting the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, visitors can also travel to various tourist destinations in the Kingdom.
Application for a visa can be made through the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A single-entry visa is valid for 90 days, while a multiple-entry visa would be valid for one year. A visitor with a multiple-entry visa may stay in the country 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 2023’s Umrah season. The Umrah pilgrimage usually starts at least few weeks after Hajj to allow Hajj pilgrims to return home and avoid congestion at the holy places and airports.
The Kingdom has opened its historical sites and other cultural spots as it develops its tourism industry as part of the Saudi Vision-2030 strategic plan that was launched in 2016.
The programme’s goal is to reduce the country’s reliance on oil exports and diversify its economy by developing and expanding into new sectors and industries. Tourism remains a key part of the strategy, with the Kingdom aiming to get 100m visitors by 2030.
The tourism industry is expected likely to create over 1m jobs for the country’s growing workforce and at the same time, generate revenues for the economy.
A massive hike in spiritual tourism especially in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, has also been planned, with the number of worshippers expected to swell to 30m by 2030.
