Transportation

Saudi Arabia Tries To Push Human Rights Concerns To One Side And Lure In Tourists


Americans and citizens from 48 other countries around the world can now apply for a tourist visa to Saudi Arabia for the first time, after the country unveiled a new tourism strategy on September 27. But is the country really ready for them and who will want to go?

The idea of opening up the kingdom to foreign tourists has been talked about for a long time, but activity has really stepped up in the past couple of years, with plans unveiled for new tourist resorts on the Red Sea coast and a huge entertainment park near the capital.

A teaser marketing campaign was launched earlier in September, with glimpses of alluring landscapes and messages directing people to a website strong on expensively-produced content and the hashtag #whereintheworld.

That followed a campaign by Gateway KSA which used prominent social media influencers such as travel bloggers Aggie Lal and Lesley Murphy to try and repair the country’s tarnished image in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October last year, its brutal actions in the Yemen war and endless other human rights outrages. Gateway KSA says it looks for “young men and women who can see beyond today’s headlines and tweets… to undertake a personal learning journey.”

The social media campaign attracted some criticism, as might be expected given the poor reputation that Saudi Arabia has in many countries. An opinion poll carried out by Gallup in the U.S. in February, for example, found that attitudes to Saudi Arabia were as bad as ever, with 67% having an unfavourable view of the country compared to 29% with a favourable view. The net favourability rating of -38% means Saudi Arabia is less popular among the American public than either Venezuela or China.

Despite such attitudes, the Saudi government is hoping to attract more than 100 million tourists by 2030. It is already used to accomodating religious tourists, mostly from the surrounding Middle East region and other Muslim-majority countries, but it is now decided to reach out to other markets too.

Nationals from 38 countries in Europe and nine in the Asia Pacific region, as well as the U.S. and Canada will be eligible to apply for the new visas online or on arrival. Quick processing is promised and the kingdom’s strict dress code for women will be relaxed for foreign visitors – they will not be expected to wear the abaya robe that Saudi women must wear, although modest clothing will still be required. One journalist reported “mixed views” in Riyadh to this new dress code, with foreign women wary of what the limits might be.

In preparation for all the hoped-for visitors, the country has been developing its tourism credentials. Last year it signed a deal with France to develop the tourism potential of the Nabataean ruins at Madain Saleh in the Al-Ula region – a sister site to the world-renowned abandoned city of Petra in Jordan.

It has also been building up its entertainment industry, opening up cinemas, allowing music concerts and putting on international sports events such as golf and boxing. It is also building the vast Qiddiya entertainment complex near Riyadh which will house, among other things, a Six Flags theme park.

On the west coast, the Saudi authorities have launched a number of tourism projects based on and around its islands and sandy coastline, including the Red Sea Project and the Amaala development. There are other ancient sites of interest too, including the Jubbah rock carvings, one of five UNESCO world heritage sites around the country – a further 11 have been earmarked for consideration in the future.

As Dr. Andreas Kreig of Kings College London noted on Twitter, the country has “the region’s most stunning landscapes, beaches and historic landmarks” but he suggested it will probably only be of interest (or accessible) to those who are “apolitical, not on the record of criticizing the #Saudi regime, or expressed any sympathy for 100s of political prisoners.”

All this marks a considerable change of direction for a country which is described by Lonely Planet as a “final frontier of tourism.” Saudi Arabia has until now been one of the least welcoming countries in the world to tourists. Only four countries’ citizens are allowed in without a visa; only seven countries are more restrictive, among them Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and North Korea.

Tourism is an important part of the economic strategy of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, both in terms of helping to diversify the economy away from oil and create more jobs for locals. The new visa regime should at least help to reverse a decline in the number of visitors in recent years, almost all of whom are either carrying out religious pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina or coming for business.

There were 15.3 million inbound trips last year, compared to 18.3 million visits in 2014, according to the central bank SAMA. The trips are getting shorter too – the total number of nights spent by visitors in Saudi Arabia fell from 355 million in 2014 to around 174 million last year, although the average spend per trip has been increasing.

Most people who come to Saudi Arabia travel from other parts of the Middle East or South Asia. Europeans accounted for 1.2 million trips last year, while North America provided just 918,000 visitors.

In contrast, the number of Saudis leaving the country for a holiday has been increasing, rising by almost 2.8 million trips since 2013. And they are going for longer too, typically spending 15 nights out of the country per trip, compared to 9 nights in 2013.

Building up an attractive tourism industry might have the added benefit for the local economy of persuading more locals to take more vacations at home too.





READ NEWS SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.