Jakarta (Indonesia Window) - Not long after the visa facility for 49 countries was launched by the government of Saudi Arabia, 24,000 foreign tourists visit the kingdom within the first 10 days of implementation of the policy, according to a Saudi Foreign Ministry statement reported by Arabnews on Monday (Oct 7).

The ministry revealed the highest number of visitors were from China, followed by Britain and the United States in second and third place.

Tourists from Canada, Malaysia and Russia are in the next position, followed by those from France and Germany. Meanwhile, the number of Australian and Kazakhstan tourists visiting the kingdom is in ninth and tenth place.

The new Saudi visa system, which took effect on September 28, 2019, provides easy access for Muslims to perform umrah outside the Hajj season without the need for sponsors, as is the case with work permit visas.

The new visa system is an effort to create one million jobs in Saudi Arabia, as well as targeting 100 million tourists by 2030 as part of the Vision 2030 program.

Reporting by Indonesia Window