Why doesn't Saudi Arabia issue tourist visas?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 12 Aug, 2023
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There is an interesting 2000 article in Travel & Leisure, an American magazine, on the first non-religious tourist visas that were being issued around that time.
Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the popular governor of Asir province whose recent poetry reading in Jordan drew 10,000 people, told me in an interview that “twenty years ago tourism was almost a four-letter word.” The royal family (and the clerics who rule with them) associated tourism with drinking, gambling, and nightclubs–“with all these things that do not go with Islamic teachings or the Islamic way of life.” But he saw it as something that could help his mountainous, underdeveloped region, and he established the kingdom’s first bureau of tourism. “I coined the phrase ‘clean tourism,’ ” explained Khalid, to suggest visitors without vice–educational groups, sports competitions, Muslims from neighboring nations drawn by Asir’s cool summer breezes. …
Beyond women driving and wearing T-shirts, however, some clerics might also warn against giving undue attention to buildings and artwork as idolatry. The Saud family has for many generations been closely aligned with Islamic school of al-Wahhab, which is wary of the appreciation of anything earthly for fear of idolatry. Indeed, there has been enough destruction of historical sites to have garnered a Wikipedia article, for what that’s worth. Some theorize a fear of terrorism, that tourists would make an inviting target and attract negative attention.
I cannot explain why such concerns are not applied to the many third-country nationals who work in Saudi Arabia, but as with many countries, the migrant labor is probably too important to the economy for anyone to take serious action. Besides, someone living in the country might be expected to conform more closely to its social norms than a tourist skipping in and out for a few days or weeks. Prince Khalid is quoted in the T&L article saying economic considerations were a factor in the earlier liberalization:
The opening of the nation to foreign visitors wasn’t solely Prince Khalid’s achievement. He told me it got its biggest push from the global drop in oil prices of the past 10 years. “We need other sources of income in this country,” he said; as their coffers slowly emptied, other members of the ruling family finally agreed.
Expanding tourism would also help “Saudiaze” the workforce, reducing dependence on those third-country nationals and encouraging younger Saudis to stay and work at home rather than going abroad:
“Tourism is the second most Saudiazed economic sector, with 28 percent. That’s big for a sector that is new and has not yet been fully supported,” he added. “We’re serious about making tourism a major player in the economy and also in job creation, and keeping Saudis in Saudi Arabia.”
As pilgrimages have flatlined, there will be additional economic pressure on Saudi Arabia to increase non-religious tourism.
Why would the kingdom have opened up in 2000, made a widely publicized push to increase tourism in 2006, then suddenly clamp down in 2010? It is hard to say; it seems to have taken everyone by surprise. Oil prices rebounded in a big way, making the economic push less compelling, and other political developments in the region since 2010 have probably made the government reluctant to test religious conservatives. An official reason given is that the country is not ready for mass foreign tourism, and is investing resources to develop its tourist infrastructure and encourage domestic tourism first.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
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