Saudi Arabia has welcomed 24,000 tourists in the 10 days after it issued tourist visas for the first time.
The country announced on September 27 that it would start offering tourist visas, as part of its push to diversify its economy away from oil. Until then, the state only issued visas to Muslim pilgrims, foreign workers, and recently to spectators at sporting and cultural events.
Authorities announced recently that non-married foreign couples would be allowed to book hotel rooms together.
Citizens from 49 countries are now eligible for online e-visas or visas on arrival, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, China, Kazakhstan, and several European nations.
