Saudis say they are excited about the new opportunities tourism will bring

Female shoppers wearing traditional Saudi Arabian dress check their smartphones while waiting outside a store at the Kingdom Centre shopping mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 2, 2016. Image Credit: Bloomberg

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia will drop its strict dress code for foreign women as it seeks for the first time to lure holidaymakers and the spending that could help develop the kingdom’s economy away from its reliance on oil.

Foreign women won’t have to wear an abaya, the flowing cloak that’s been mandatory attire for decades, though they’ll be instructed to wear “modest clothing,” said Ahmed Al-Khateeb, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and a key adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

On Saturday, the government will open applications for online tourist visas for citizens of 49 countries, while others can apply at embassies and consulates overseas, Al-Khateeb told Bloomberg TV in Riyadh.

The kingdom has already grappled with a slew of social changes over the past few years, and some Saudis are thrilled by the transformation. But others remain deeply conservative, and the sight of foreign tourists roaming the streets of Riyadh without abayas will be controversial.

New opportunities

Plenty of Saudis are excited about the new opportunities tourism will bring.

“I can imagine how many job opportunities there will be in the tourism sector, as well as food and retail,” said Njoud Fahad, a 28-year-old travel blogger. “Society will be enriched by all the diversity of people coming in from all around the world with their culture and language.”

Al-Khateeb said the government is targeting 64 million visits by 2022 and 100 million per year by 2030 - up from 40 million today - though that includes both domestic and foreign tourists.

The new visas could attract more adventurous travelers, particularly those who want to visit pristine islands, see little-known historical sites or explore an oft-misunderstood cultur

Tour guide Wael Alkaled, 34, said he often gets inquiries from foreigners about the photos he posts on Instagram showing off the untouched beaches and mountainous terrain of his northern region of Tabuk.

People come to me to ask where is this place, we’d love to visit. The launch of the tourist visa will create different work opportunities and more business. - Wael Alkaled, Tour Guide

“People come to me to ask where is this place, we’d love to visit,” he said. “The launch of the tourist visa will create different work opportunities and more business.”

Al-Khateeb said he believes Saudis will embrace the influx of tourists.