ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will grant visa on arrival to Saudis in a bid to promote tourism and investment in the country, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry said on Friday.
“Recently Pakistan government waived visa restrictions for Saudi nationals and hopefully a large number of Saudi tourists will visit Pakistan to experience the scenic beauty of Northern Areas and other cultural places in the country,” he said during his recent visit to Riyadh.
The minister further said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were also working to enhance cultural ties and that a cultural festival by Pakistan will be organized in Saudi Arabia next month which will be attended by large number of Pakistani expatriates. He said that Pakistan’s institutions of culture and performing arts are well established and they are “ready to extend cooperation to Saudi Arabia.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan recently launched the new online visa system for foreign visitors across the world to boost tourism and attract foreign direct investment in the cash-strapped country.
In its initial phase, citizens from countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Malaysia, China, and Turkey will be the first to avail the facility.
Under the new visa policy, the government will grant three-month e-visas to foreigners in 175 countries within a processing time of 7-10 working days. Moreover, the government has also reduced the average visa fee by 22 to 65 percent to attract maximum number of tourists and investors.