Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter and many expats have been employed to keep the country’s oil fields running. However, employers find it difficult to sustain their workers because of the fees imposed to these workers. But, things will now change with the new policy the government will start next month.

Removing the Fees for Foreign Workers

In a cabinet statement released on Tuesday, Saudi will no longer levy fees for foreign workers in the industrial sector. The new rule will begin on October 1, 2019 and will span for 5 years.

The removal of the levies will help Saudi to develop the industry. It is considered as one of the main economic segments the government aims to develop. They will also handle the “costs of the fees for the expatriate workers on behalf of the licensed industrial institutions.”

The government, in an attempt to open more jobs for Saudi nationals, imposed fees on foreign workers. Companies will have to pay a certain amount to keep their foreign workers in their employ. The fee aims to encourage companies to recruit Saudi nationals looking for work.

Since the levies became active, companies said that it increased their operating costs. Many even found it difficult to pay their workers and caused an exodus out of the country. It also caused problems for the Saudi economy and did not affect Saudi’s unemployment rate.

Last February, the government tried to remedy this problem by issuing new programs. One of them was a special scheme from King Salman, which will reimburse some companies who had difficulty paying the expensive levies. However, the fees had increased in 2017 and 2018, causing many to fail in their payments.

Only those with a high or equal number of Saudi employees versus their foreign workers were eligible under the scheme. This caused other companies to lay off their workers to reduce costs for their company.

Travel to Saudi Arabia

For those interested to travel to Saudi Arabia, there are a lot of guides available to help for any future trip.

You can visit the official tourism website of the Kingdom through this link. The site also has details about how international tourists can get visa to visit the country. You may also check with your local Saudi Embassy for more details about traveling to the country.

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Saudi Arabia is the capital of the Islamic Faith. Many landmarks in the country have ties to the Islamic faith, especially the city of Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad. Aside from this fact, many do not see Saudi Arabia as an intriguing tourist destination and Saudi rarely approves tourist visas. The Saudi government is aware of this and now plans to change that mindset with its latest project.

On Wednesday, September 4, Okaz newspaper reported that the government is currently working on finalizing a “game changer” initiative that will bring tourism to the country. They say that this initiative will open the country to international tourists from up to 50 countries.

What is the New Visa Initiative?

Sources, which Arab News quoted, said that a special event will feature Saudi’s major tourist destinations this month. During this event, a major global advertising campaign will be shown to leading international travel and tourism experts. The new visa scheme will also be discussed, which may bring in tourists from 50 countries.

Saudi has been working on revitalizing its tourism sector (also known as leisure tourism) as part of its Vision 2030 plan. The plan aims to diversify the Saudi economy and not rely on oil dependency. Experts say that tourism and leisure can help Saudi generate 10% of its GDP by 2030 and bring in $100 billion every year.

The event on September 27, will promote “the sights and sounds” of Saudi Arabia to a regional and international audience. Other tourism projects are a part of the event. These projects include the country’s digital events calendar and the “Saudi Seasons” concept.

Aside from the event, several construction projects are on the way to support Saudi’s tourism effort. One example is the new visitor facilities at AlUla and a new entertainment city at Qiddiya.

Opening the country to tourists through new tourist visas will also help the Kingdom with its target. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, 9% of the country’s economy last year came from leisure and tourism. They also see it increasing to 10.4% by 2029.

Travel to Saudi Arabia

For those interested to travel to Saudi Arabia, you can visit the official tourism website of the Kingdom through this link. The site also has details about how international tourists can get visa to visit the country.

The post Saudi Arabia to Launch New Visa Policy to Attract Tourism appeared first on Check in Price.