Saudi Arabia may have considerable tourist potential, but is not opening its doors fully to the outside world just yet
Whether it be the Red Sea's exquisite underwater landscapes, the archaeological digs of Madain Saleh, or the historic sites of al Saud rule in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has as many unique attractions for visitors as most countries.
So it was only logical that a government seeking to diversify its oil-dependent economy would turn to tourism, which is what Saudi Arabia did a dozen years ago, launching a tourism industry almost from scratch.
Launch is the right word because unlike most other countries, where tourism may have grown organically over many decades, Saudi Arabia had never welcomed outsiders for recreational visits. Foreigners were allowed in temporarily to do a job. And of course for more than 1,400 years, millions of Muslims have arrived annually as religious pilgrims to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
But opening up to all and sundry for leisurely pursuits was generally taboo among most Saudis, who were leery of malign influences on their culture and religion.
Such attitudes have lessened, but not entirely disappeared as the kingdom's tourist sector has grown. As of 2010, tourism was responsible for 3.6 per cent of the national gross domestic product (GDP) and 7.5 per cent of the non-oil sector of the economy, according to statistics from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.
That same year, tourism provided 491,768 jobs, of which 128,027 were held by Saudis. Between 2004 and 2010, the country went from zero licensed tour guides to 120 and from nearly 30,000 tourism establishments to 44,148.
This growth, however, has been due largely to tourism by residents of the kingdom, who include 21 million citizens and eight million expatriate workers, as well as by pilgrims opting to vacation in the kingdom after accomplishing their religious obligations.
Between 2007 and 2010 the government did issue tourist visas to foreigners who were required to visit in tightly controlled groups on itineraries set up by licensed travel agencies. In 2009, it gave out 20,000 such visas.
The government hoped that this new openness would help its reputation in the post-9/11 atmosphere.
"Saudi Arabia today faces a big challenge, which is its image," prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, told the New York Times in 2008. "It is very important for us that people come and see it as it is. Seeing is believing."
But in late 2010 the government abruptly halted that experiment and ceased issuing tourist visas, offering no explanation for its decision. While some observers suspect the government was pressured by religious conservatives, officials deny that, describing the move as a strategic retreat to build up the country's tourist infrastructure first.
"Nowadays, tourism is all about service," says Majed al Sheddi, spokesman for the Commission. "We found that the supply chain was not ready enough, at the quality we are looking for, so we have decided not to go for groups of foreign tourists." That decision is likely to be re-evaluated, he adds, once the country feels better equipped to handle foreign visitors.
Alexander Mudd, general manager of specialist tour firm The Traveller, based in London, says before visas were cut off, "we ran a number of successful tours" and if reinstated "I know I would have quite a long list of people who would be very interested" in visiting the kingdom.
Al Sheddi says the government's current focus is on developing tourism by locals, or so-called domestic tourism. Although this has risen steadily, Saudis still seek relaxation outside their borders. Arab News, a Jeddah-based daily, recently ran a headline reporting that "over 400,000 Saudis will fly to Dubai to spend upcoming school vacation." And summers always mean a huge exodus of Saudis to other countries.
In its latest statistical report, the Commission for Tourism and Antiquities noted domestic tourism dropped 28.7 per cent in 2010 from the year before. It attributed this in part to cheaper tourism packages for travel abroad.
Even if Saudi Arabia were seeking to draw foreign visitors, it would be a hard sell for all but the most intrepid given prevailing religious and social customs, including a ban on alcohol, cinemas, and casinos; strict gender segregation and the requirement that women wear an abaya, an all-enveloping black cloak. [In 2010, the Commission and the country's religious police signed a memorandum "for joint co-operation in the development of the tourism sector," according to the Arab News, which quoted prince Sultan saying the agreement was to further develop "morally clean domestic tourism."]
In addition, many governments still caution their nationals about potential dangers in Saudi Arabia. The US State Department, for example, "urges US citizens to carefully consider the risks" to their security "due to the continued presence of terrorist groups" in the kingdom. The last known terrorist-related attack on foreigners was in 2007.
In recent years, the government has begun renovating many neglected historic sites as part of a push to make Saudis more aware of their own past and encourage them to travel. Riyadh's Masmak Palace, and the oasis town of Diriyyah - both key places in Al Saud history - have been among the targets of these renovations.
The kingdom is not "another glassy country with no heritage" says Commission spokesman al Sheddi. "We do believe Saudi Arabia has a unique heritage dimension you cannot ignore...people are looking for something unique and we are a big country with diverse cultures."
Sharon Dunn is an enthusiastic tourist of the kingdom's attractions. An Australian who has lived in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade, she has traveled to many different areas and organises trips for her fellow expatriates, most recently to Madain Saleh.
The Nabataean site, featuring huge tombs hewed out of rock, dates from the 1st century CE and was part of the same civilisation that produced Jordan's Petra. It was designated a World Heritage site in 2008. Visiting requires special permission, but this is usually easily given.
"There are many amazing things to be seen in this country," says Dunn, adding that despite the frustrations of extra paperwork and sometimes inconvenient plane schedules, most places are "well worth" the extra effort to get there.
Fahad al Safh, owner of Explorer and Expatriate Tours in Jeddah, which offers desert camping, snorkeling, and trips to a local camel market, says he and others in the private sector are offering "vitamins" to help build the Saudi tourism industry through small projects that provide such things as T-shirts and souvenir statues.
Al Safh says he understood the government's decision to stop foreign visitors, citing a need to develop the infrastructure, including building public toilets, and finding ways to avoid having tourist vans delayed by massive construction projects or police checkpoints.
"As a closed culture, we need time to open up," he says.
© The Gulf 2012
