*RIYADH – Saudi Arabia will allow foreign visitors and pilgrims to visitall cities of the kingdom on 30-day Umrah visas. Previously, foreignvisitors were only allowed to visit Makkah and Madina on the Umrah visa.*

Umrah visas are usually issued for 30 days and people have to spend 15 daysat the two grand holy mosques in Makkah and Madina, said the Saudigovernment, reported Al Arabia English.link

Abdulaziz Wazzan, undersecretary of the Hajj Ministry for Umrah Affairs,said that the number of pilgrims this year is expected to reach 8.5 millionby the end of Shawwal as reported by Saudi daily newspaper *al-Youm. *Headded that more than 1,000 pilgrims arrived in Madina last week.

The move to allow pilgrims to visit all cities came as part of SaudiArabia’s steps to promote tourism in the country.