Saudi Arabia to grant UAE residents free visas for festivals

Expats in UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain will get the visa on condition of attending an event in the kingdom

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

Cosmicat has been hailed by organisers as being the first Saudi DJ from Saudi Arabia. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

The first day of the MDL Beast festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 3-day festival includes Internationally acclaimed DJ acts such as David Guetta and Steve Aioki. Courtesy MDL Beast

Saudi Arabia will grant residents of three Gulf States free visas on the condition that they attend a festival, a government source told The National.

The decision is part of the kingdom’s reform programme to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post oil-era.

“An official decision was issued by authorities to allow residents of three Gulf countries, UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain, a three-day free visa to attend an event and to make all the necessary facilities available to serve the tourists,” the official said.

The three-day visa scheme will be valid throughout the kingdom's festival season.

There are several festivals operating around the country, the Riyadh Season, the Tantora Festival held in Al Ula in the north-west of the country.

Under the Riyadh Season, the MDL Beast festival was held for three days over the weekend and welcomed more than two dozen acts, who performed across its five stages.

The Tantora festival is a three-month celebration that will showcase concerts and art and culture events connecting East and West - just as the Al Ula county has done for thousands of years.

The Tantora festival kicked off last Thursday.

It comes just months after Saudi Arabia introduced tourist visas to citizens from 49 countries, making the kingdom more accessible than ever with the Unesco World Heritage site at Hegra in Al Ula among those featured in a global marketing campaign.

The cost of a tourist visa is 430.83 AED (440 riyals).

Visas can be obtained online or upon arrival. Tourists can visit the kingdom several times within a one-year period, with a 90-day limit per visit.

The kingdom hopes that tourism will contribute up to 10 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product by 2030, compared to the three per cent it currently generates.

By 2030, the country aims to attract up to 100 million annual visits.