Saudi Arabia to open its doors to foreign tourists for the first time

Saudi Arabia will open its doors to foreign tourists for the first time as the country hopes to attract 100 million visitors a year by 2030.

The ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, which has been relatively closed off for decades, is making visas available to tourists from 49 nations on Friday.

The move is part of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious plans to develop new industries, as the world's top oil exporter looks to wean itself off of the fossil fuel and open up society.

Tourism is high on the crown prince's agenda, despite a shortage of infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia is appealing to foreign companies to invest in the sector it hopes will contribute 10% of gross domestic product by 2030.

Tourism chief Ahmed al-Khateeb has estimated around 250 billion riyals (£54bn) of investments are needed, including 500,000 new hotel rooms within the next decade.

The Gulf country, which shares borders with Iraq to the north and Yemen to the south, boasts vast tracts of desert but also verdant mountains, pristine beaches and historical sites including five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Muslim kingdom has been relaxing its strict social codes in recent years.

This includes the segregation of men and women in public places and requiring women to wear all-covering black robes called abayas.

Mr al-Khateeb said that abayas will not be mandatory for female holidaymakers.

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