Saudi Arabia Gives Unmarried Foreign Couples Go Ahead To Rent Hotel Rooms

This comes after the ultraconservative kingdom begins offering tourist visas for the first time

Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that it would allow unmarried foreign couples to rent hotel rooms together.

This comes after the ultraconservative kingdom begins offering tourist visas for the first time, according to the AFP.

The tourism authority said in a statement published on Twitter that Saudi women travelling alone would also be able to check into a hotel by presenting valid identity cards.

In the past, couples wanting to stay in a hotel had to prove they were married.

“This is no longer required for tourists,” the statement said.

Saudi Arabia announced on September 27 that it was opening its doors to holidaymakers with the goal of diversifying its oil-dependent economy.

The kingdom had previously only issued visas to Muslim pilgrims, foreign workers, and recently to spectators at sporting or cultural events.

Citizens from 49 countries are now eligible for online e-visas or visas on arrival, including the United States, Australia and several European nations.

Source; Sahara Reporters