New tourist visa policies are being implemented in Saudi Arabia and Russia. Both countries are adopting a series of reforms, making their countries easier to visit and increasing the tourist flow.
RUSSIA
A short time ago, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region became accessible with a free, electronic visa valid for 96hours for citizens of 53 countries. From Jan. 1, 2021, an electronic visa will work throughout Russia and cost no more than 50 US Dollars.
Russia’s unique culture, history, religions, sites and natural wonders spread across 11 time zones certainly has a lot to offer. In 2018 Russia was the 16th most popular global destination for tourists according to the World Trade Organization.
St. Petersburg known as the Venice of The North founded in 1703 is the most visited place of the country. Founded in 1703 as Russia’s “window to Europe” by the modernizing Peter the Great, the city is known for its “grand canals, fabulous art collections and ornate buildings designed by Italian architects.”
The government’s newly appointed person for the initiative, Zarina Doguzova stated that “Russia now sees tourism as a strategic sector and that their goal is to receive millions of people.
The e-visas will be valid for eight days, a time span that will double to 16 when the nationwide system is introduced. City officials said they received more than 3,500 applications on the first day of the new regime.
SAUDI ARABIA
Approximately 10 hours away, at the end of September, Saudi Arabia launched a Tourist e-VISA for the first time available to non-religious tourists. A push to diversify its economy away from oil?
-The new Tourist e-Visa allows the holder multiple entries into the kingdom and is valid for one year. The maximum duration that one can stay in Saudi Arabia consecutively is 90 days, but no more than 180 days overall. The application fee for the online visa is 120 dollars including health insurance.
A Twitter account campaign exhorts users to VisitSaudiNow. In addition to the easier access to the country, female tourists will be exempted from wearing the all-covering abaya robe.
The announcement comes as the country has been on a diplomatic offensive, both to counter criticism of its human rights record, conflict with neighbouring Iran, the war in Yemen. The move also prefigured the anticipated acknowledgement by Saudi Arabia’s Crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in a PBS documentary regarding his role in the killing of exiled journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year by Saudi operatives.
“Opening Saudi Arabia to international tourists is a historic moment for our country,” its tourism chief, Ahmed al-Khateeb, said in a statement. “Visitors will be surprised … by the treasures we have to share – five Unesco world heritage sites, a vibrant local culture and breathtaking natural beauty.” The government, reeling from low oil prices, is fervently hoping that tourism will contribute up to 10% of the gross domestic product by 2030, compared with 3% currently.
-Holders of Schengen visa, may now apply for Saudi Arabia’s new Tourist e-Visa. You can find more about eligibility here , https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/schengen-visa-holders-now-eligible-for-saudi-arabias-tourist-e-visa/
Motives and strategy
Russia and Saudi Arabia notoriously known for closely controlling the inflows of foreigners into their territories find themselves opening up their countries to tourism at the same time for different reasons.
Russia would not refuse an economic boost and increase their soft power. Moreover the 2018 World Cup proved that the country was capable of managing large inflows of foreigners without threatening national security. Saudi Arabia, on the other side, is trying to make amend for the series of human rights violations they are guilty of. They aim through this measures to liberalize a little bit the country and show to the western world and the international community that they are ready to soften their rules so they can get in their good graces again and stop being “persona no grata.
Not Sorry, Sorry
Despite this interest in tourism to boost their respective economies and change the negative image of the country dominating the Western world, Russia is clearly ‘throwing shade’ at some countries. Absent from the e-visa list are the members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance: the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Their citizens are welcome but will not benefit from the advantage of the new visa exemption policies.
While Putin is not easing the entry of his main critics (the Western citizens )on his territory, the Crown Prince of SA is doing the opposite certainly so they can witness his effort and report it. Also unlike Russia, the UK and the US are included in the 49 countries covered by the new visa scheme in Saudi Arabia.
Sources
http://www.visit-petersburg.ru/en/72_hours_in_petersburg/
Overbooked by Moss 
Laisser un commentaire