Saudi Arabia to grant cinema licenses early next year

RIYADH, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia announced on Monday its plan to grant licenses to open cinema early next year, Al Arabiya local news reported.

Minister of Culture and Information Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad said in a statement that as the industry regulator, the General Commission for Audiovisual Media, has started the process for licensing cinemas in the kingdom.

He confirmed that the first cinema is expected to be opened in March 2018.

The major step in the conservative state is part of a series of reforms as part of the 2030 economic visions that also included a war on corruption. The cinema theatres come to create job opportunities for local manpower and promote tourism.

The changes are also intended to capture up to a quarter of the 20 billion U.S. dollars currently spent overseas by Saudis, who are accustomed to travelling abroad to see shows and visit amusement parks in nearby tourist hub Dubai or further afield.

Saudi Arabia in recent months has organized concerts, a Comic-Con pop culture festival and a mixed-gender national day celebration that saw people dancing in the streets to thumping electronic music for the first time. Enditem