Saudi Arabia opens its doors to tourists from August start
The Saudi Ministry of Tourism announced that the Kingdom will open its doors to tourists, and lift the suspension of entry for tourist visa holders, starting from August 1, 2021.
Fully vaccinated tourists can enter Saudi Arabia without the need for an institutional quarantine period, provided that an official vaccination certificate is presented upon arrival and proof of a PCR test and the appearance of its negative result within 72 hours from the time of departure.
Visitors to Saudi Arabia must also register their data related to vaccination doses on the new electronic portal dedicated to this, “https://muqeem.sa/#/vaccine-registration/home”, as well as register their data through the “Tawakkalna” application, and show it to enter public places.
Those who are fully vaccinated are those who have received two vaccination doses of one of the approved vaccines in the Kingdom, which is Pfizer, AstraZeneca, or Moderna, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson.
Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khatib said, “We welcome tourists again, and we are very happy to receive the Kingdom’s guests again after a pause due to the repercussions of the Corona pandemic.”
He added: “We focused our efforts during the downtime on close cooperation with our partners in all sectors to ensure a safe return through which visitors to the Kingdom enjoy exploring its tourist treasures, important destinations, and landmarks, enjoy unique tourist experiences, and learn about the culture of generosity and hospitality that characterizes Saudi society.”
The Kingdom had launched the tourist visa in September of the year 2019, in a historic decision in which Saudi Arabia opened its heart and its doors to tourists from different countries of the world.
At the time, the Kingdom achieved remarkable numbers, as 400,000 visas were issued within 6 months, before approving the suspension of travel and the closure of ports and borders due to the Corona pandemic.