Egypt has announced relaxed tourist visa requirements for Saudi nationals. The move on the part of Cairo comes after other countries including Turkey recently relaxed visa procedures to attract more tourists and businessmen from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "The relaxed visa norms will also apply for nationals of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries," said Ahmed Al-Khadim, president of the Cairo-based General Authority for Tourism Promotion. The concessions granted to visa applicants now include offering tourist visas for nationals at seaports and land entry points. Tourists or expatriates of other nationalities can also obtain multiple entry visas valid for a year within 72 hours of applying, according to a report of Arab News published today. The new regulation, which will substantially ease the issuance of visas, is a welcome move as more than 309,000 Saudis visited Egypt last year. --MORE 1013 Local Time 0713 GMT
