Travelers from seven key global markets are about to experience a hassle-free journey to Saudi Arabia. With the launch of the new Package Visa pilot, visitors from Jordan, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mexico, and Pakistan can enter the Kingdom through a seamless, one-click experience.
Beyond simplifying the journey, the initiative aims to transform the domestic tourism sector by driving longer stays, unlocking new source markets, and channeling higher spending directly into licensed local hospitality, hence solidifying Saudi Arabia’s status as a premier global destination.
Tourist Package Visa: A Strategic Vision
What’s New: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has unveiled a new Package Visa that allows visitors from seven pilot markets to get a tourist visa as part of an approved travel package booked through qualified travel and tourism agencies.
The Big Picture: Saudi Vision 2030 places high emphasis on the tourism sector as one of its key pillars to drive economic diversification. Under this revolutionary plan, the Kingdom targets 150 million visitors by 2030, in line with its ambition to establish its status as a premier global tourism hub.
The Visa Package pilot builds on the Saudi Tourism Ministry’s efforts to streamline inbound travel through the tourist e-Visa. These programs also include visa on arrival and the Stopover Transit Visa, all designed to accelerate tourism growth.
A One-Click Experience
How It Works: Travelers can obtain flights, licensed accommodation, and electronic visa issuance through a simple integrated booking experience that can include events, activities and other tourism experiences.
Step-by-Step:
- Select a package from authorized travel agencies (including local partners such as Reserval and Almosafer).
- Complete payment through the digital platform.
- Receive your visa and travel insurance instantly.
- Download all documents directly from your email.
Strict Frameworks
The Context: The minimum duration of the package is two days, while the maximum is 88 days. The accommodation stay within the tourism package must match the flight itinerary, fully covering the duration between the arrival and departure dates specified in the flight booking.
Moreover, the period between the purchase completion date and the trip departure date must not be less than 48 hours.
The Rules: Each package must include a confirmed round-trip flight, the visa, and accommodation at a licensed hotel of at least a 4-star standard.
Furthermore, the mandatory package value is set at a minimum of SAR 4,000 per adult for the first two days combined, followed by an additional SAR 1,000 for each consecutive day thereafter.
Empowering Operators & Boosting Domestic Revenue
The Tourism Ministry set strict quality controls for the pilot program to ensure maximum visitor confidence. Only highly qualified operators are eligible to participate and are required to possess advanced digital platforms in addition to offering 24/7 technical support and customer call centers.
This new initiative offers a massive opportunity to travel service providers looking to capitalize on the soaring interest in Saudi Arabia. Integrating the visa into a single transaction removes a major hurdle for tourists, thus making Saudi travel packages more competitive.
Therefore, it allows local businesses to design richer, extended itineraries that entice guests to stay longer and immerse themselves deeper into the local economy.
Record-Breaking Growth
The Context: The Tourism Ministry’s Annual Statistical Report for 2025 highlighted a strong performance and rapid growth under Saudi Vision 2030.
By The Numbers:
- The Kingdom welcomed a record-breaking 123 million inbound and domestic tourists, marking a 6% growth compared to 2024.
- Total spending reached a historic high of SAR 304 billion, reflecting a 7% year-on-year increase.
- The tourism sector directly contributed 4.9% to the national GDP, with its total footprint expanding by 14% over the previous year.
- The travel account achieved a massive SAR 49.4 billion surplus, contributing more than 61% of all exports in the services account.
- While domestic travel led in volume with 93.3 million tourists, international visitors drove the highest revenue, bringing in SAR 176.6 billion compared to SAR 127.1 billion from domestic spend.
- Non-religious travel now accounts for 52% of all inbound overnight visitors, up significantly from 44% in 2019.
- Total employment within tourism industries climbed to nearly 1.03 million jobs across the country.
- Saudi women now make up 47% of the localized tourism workforce – a historic transformation from just 5% at the end of 2018.
Unlocking Global Corridors
Through integrated efforts by the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the Insurance Authority, the initiative opens access to new emerging tourism markets.
Currently, the Tourist Package Visa is available for citizens from Jordan, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mexico, and Pakistan. The service will expand soon to include more countries.
On this occasion, the Saudi Tourism Minister, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, hailed the new initiative. “Saudi Arabia’s tourism story has always been about ambition, openness, and continuous progress,” he said.
“With the Package Visa, we are taking the next step: empowering our travel and tourism partners, simplifying the journey for visitors, and creating a smarter, more seamless way to experience Saudi Arabia. This pilot is a glimpse of what comes next, and we invite our partners and future visitors to be part of it,” he added.
