Saudi Arabia to Launch Special Visa for World Expo 2030

In a bid to simplify access to the long-awaited World Expo in 2030, Saudi Arabia is preparing to introduce a specialized visa, promising an easy transition from air travel to the exhibition grounds.

Authorities also announced that beating out contenders Italy and South Korea, Saudi Arabia secured the rights to host the World Expo and is committed to investing nearly $8 billion in transforming a significant portion of its capital, Riyadh, into a grand event venue spanning 6.6 square kilometers, VisaGuide.World reports.

According to Skift, the move echoes the Middle East’s earlier embrace of event-specific visa initiatives. Notably, during the FIFA World Cup hosted in Qatar, the Hayya Card, tailored for football enthusiasts, spurred significant interregional travel, setting the stage for the anticipated introduction of a unified visa system within the GCC region (Cooperation Council of the Gulf), predicted to be realized either this year or next year.

World Expos, often compared to the scale of the Olympic Games, take place every five years and significantly impact host cities, catalyzing developments in various sectors such as tourism, construction, real estate, and investment. The upcoming exhibition in Saudi Arabia is second in the region, following the Dubai exhibition in 2021.

As Skift notes, the UAE’s Expo was forecasted to inject $33 billion into the nation’s economy over 20 years, with a notable $6 billion attributed directly to expenditures on hotels and business services throughout the six-month period of the Expo.

With 197 countries scheduled to participate in the Riyadh Expo, Saudi Arabia sees this as an unparalleled opportunity to highlight its ongoing modernization efforts.

Riyadh Expo 2030 anticipates welcoming 40 million visitors during its half-year stay, including domestic and international attendees, including repeat visitors.

In addition to hosting the World Expo, Saudi Arabia, known for its scorching temperatures reaching up to 122°F, is preparing to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029. This event will take place in Troy, a monumental “giga-project” set in the middle of the country’s mountainous terrain, offering an extraordinary man-made ski towing experience.

Against the backdrop of a staggering $1.3 trillion worth of projects currently in the pipeline in Saudi Arabia, Qatar’s World Cup commitment reportedly exceeds $200 billion, underscoring the sheer scale of investment and development efforts in the region.