At the end of 2017, a few travel agencies in Saudi Arabia were authorized to begin issuing travel visas ... and now women over 25 will soon have the opportunity to go to the kingdom without a male guardian.
"The tourist visa will be a single-entry visa, and valid for 30 days maximum. This visa is added to those currently available in the Kingdom. It is independent of work, visit, Hajj and Umrah visas," said Omar Al-Mubarak, director general of the commission's licensing department, according to Arab News.
The "executive regulations" of the tourist visas have been finalized and will be issued during the first quarter of 2018. Currently, an electronic system for the process is underway.
Women under the age of 25 will still have to be accompanied by a family member during their visit.
Tourist visas in the kingdom
In December, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) in Jeddah issued the first license allowing travel agencies labeled as category D to issue tourist visas.
Formerly, visas were only available to pilgrims, business people with a local sponsor, and family members of residents.
Over the summer, Riyadh allocated $2.67 billion to the SCTH to develop and rebuild tourism projects in the country.
At the time, SCTH explained that it would receive 40 percent of the recently allocated government funds, while the remaining 60 percent would be distributed among its government partners.
Six new tourism initiatives were identified as well. These include the development of touristic destinations for families in areas like Al Ula, Fursan Islands, and Al Raas Al Abyad Shore. They also include the rehabilitation of 80 of the country's archaeological sites.
Between 2008 and 2010, Saudi Arabia ran a trial of the tourist visa system which saw more than 32,000 tourists visit the kingdom.