Saudi Arabia's new thirst for tourism

In the decades that preceded the country's current $100 billion fiscal deficit and fall in oil prices, Riyadh was content to continue business as usual, with the annual influx of millions of Muslim pilgrims forming the only significant group of visitors to the country.

Now, given the kingdom's financial woes, tourism has been touted as a key factor in the country's Vision 2030 in transforming its economy and easing its "addiction" to oil.

But just how realistic is this vision?

No visas, no visitors

At present, tourism visas to Saudi Arabia remain non-existent, with visitors only getting the chance to see the kingdom's ancient sites like Madain Saleh if they are in the country on a business visa.

In 2009, Prince Sultan bin Abdulazziz, the country's then crown prince, had promised that tourism visas would be available in "the near future", but almost a decade later, no progress has yet been seen.

Centre of Islamic history

In recent years, cranes were erected high over the grand mosque of Mecca to facilitate construction, the pace of destruction of many of the city's historical sites also hastened, sanctioned by conservative religious authorities who feared they would be turned into places of veneration and sacrilege.

At the time, Muslims around the world lamented the turning of sites related to Prophet Muhammad into car parks and other amenities while Saudi authorities had little incentive to back track on their work.  

Yet, now as part of its Vision 2030, the kingdom has promised to create a museum of Islamic history in order to attract more tourism from Muslim countries, playing on its strength as a compulsory pilgrimage site for adherents of the religion.

As part of its Vision 2030, the kingdom has promised to create a museum of Islamic history in order to attract more tourism from Muslim countries

Realistic?

The task now facing the country's ruling monarchy is gigantic to say the least, and using tourism to partly plug the gap that will be left by oil is optimistic in the least.

At present, oil accounts for 70 percent of the government's revenue, with the industry itself acting as one of the kingdom's major employers.

The challenges that would face the kingdom's tourism industry, however, would not be for a lack of things to see and do, but would be due to the country's lack of preparation to engage with the outside world.

Indeed, as a recent New York Times article published in March shows, Saudi Arabia is host to numerous ancient historical sites and "idyllic coastlines", but it remains doubtful whether the country can attract a sizeable market beyond the millions of Muslim travellers it hosts every year.

For a country where segregation between the sexes is a norm and strict dress codes are enforced by law, perhaps tourism may open up a country that has remained a mystery to many outsiders.

For a country where segregation between the sexes is a norm and strict dress codes are enforced by law, perhaps tourism may open up a country that has remained a mystery to many outsiders

While many sceptics may doubt that Saudi Arabia's tourism industry could really take off, perhaps the more interesting aspect of this new willingness to engage with the outside world is the positive societal and political changes that may take shape as a result of it.

In this, Saudi Arabia's tourism industry may not be the remedy for the country's economic ills, however it may hold the key for more interesting change.