Tour companies are already lining up to send holidaymakers to Saudi Arabia following a move to introduce visa-free travel to part of the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast.
UK-based Wild Frontiers has been advertising eight-day packages to Saudi Arabia for several months in the hope that the country’s closed tourism attractions might be opened up.
“There is huge pent up demand,” said marketing manager Michael Pullman. “This is fantastic news and we have a waiting list of people to go there. We have been taking bookings in expectation that this might happen.”
The Red Sea project is expected to include diving attractions, a nature reserve and luxury hotels.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) said on Monday it would help to fund construction of the resort which was described as “a semi-autonomous area.”
Tourism is a key part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which seeks to reduce the country’s reliance on oil and gas revenues by developing new sectors such as retail, hospitality and manufacturing.
Tourism chiefs hope to attract new visitors to the country while also encouraging more domestic travel and keeping more of the money within the economy that would otherwise be spent by Saudis overseas.
The Red Sea project aims to provide a SR15 billion ($4 billion) boost to the economy and create some 35,000 jobs.
Wild Frontiers is one of several specialist tour operators that have been eagerly awaiting the opening up of the Kingdom’s tourism sector.
It already has a waiting list for its first eight-day tour, which is priced at £4,895 ($6,468).
“This is the kind of thing that really doesn’t happen very often,” said Pullman.