The country is still relatively closed off to tourism, but this first baby step will introduce Saudi Arabia to a small taste of what foreigners have to offer.
Global travel isn't just about snapping a few pictures at a landmark. Sometimes its getting a six-month job in a new country that leads to new opportunities.
The Asian market is looking to travel and with so many short-haul destinations to pick from, a cumbersome visa requirement is enough to deter visitors from choosing Japan.
New Zealand is trying to get out from under the shadow of its big neighbor to the west, and believes that easing the visa process may be one step toward that goal.
Easing visa policies is the first step to take towards attracting more visitors and growing the economy, and e-visas work especially well for smaller countries like Azerbaijan that lack a global network of embassies.
Countries are competing for the founders of the next big company by streamlining visa processes making the exchange of talent and tourism more fluid for the future.
UK already has enough trouble managing immigration lines at Heathrow, this will only add to the mess. And then rival politicians and rights groups are already crying discrimination and will hurt tourism as well.
Ah, nostalgia. As every immigrant or visitor will attest, everyone has an I-94 story buried somewhere in their history in America, enough to fill many Tumblrs.