Published on 07:08 PM, July 30, 2021

Saudi Arabia will reopen to tourists on Sunday

A Saudi security officer watches as Muslim hajj pilgrims, wearing masks and keeping social distancing to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, circumambulate the Kaaba, a square stone structure in the Great Mosque, in Mecca Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. Once drawing some 2.5 million Muslims from across the globe to the holy city of Mecca, the Islamic pilgrimage has been dramatically scaled back due to the virus. (Saudi Media Ministry via AP) AP
REUTERS

Saudi Arabia will reopen its borders to tourists on Sunday for the first time in 18 months after imposing restrictions at the start of the pandemic to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The historically closed-off kingdom introduced electronic visas for tourists in late 2019, just before the pandemic struck.

Saudi Arabia is looking to rebrand itself as a unique tourist destination for nature lovers and curious travelers as a way to boost non-oil revenue and create more jobs.

Citizens of 49 mostly European countries, as well as the U.S. and China among others, will be allowed to enter the kingdom under the new rules without quarantine if they provide a negative PCR test before travel and have vaccine certificates proving two doses of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or a single dose of the vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson.

Travelers vaccinated with the Chinese Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccine must have received a third dose of one of the other vaccines.

Earlier this week, the kingdom warned that any citizen who travels to red-listed countries, such as the neighboring emirate of Dubai where the delta variant is present, could face a three-year travel ban.

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