Saudi Arabia: Your first choice destination for 'fun in the sun'
Photo of the Empty Quarter (Rub al-Khali) courtesy of Google Images
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia seems an unlikely destination for fun in the sun.
Yet here was a Saudi prince at a tourism conference in neighboring Dubai, busily trying to sell his country as a vacation spot — provided visitors don't expect alcohol, women come robed, and everyone refrains from eating in public from dawn to dusk during the holy month of Ramadan.
And swinging singles need not apply. Women younger than 40 must be accompanied by their brothers or fathers.
Undaunted, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, until recently accessible to only a handful of non-Muslim tourists, is opening its doors, beckoning curious world travelers to its mysterious and hidden treasures.
The change springs from the new policies of King Abdullah, who ascended the throne last August after the death of his half-brother, King Fahd.
Abdullah, a reformer, wants to show that his country is more than just the former home of Osama bin Laden and a breeding ground for Islamic extremism.
"He wants to show the world a different face to the kingdom. It's all part of a greater plan to open up the country, to show that though it is Arab and Islamic, it is also modern and moderate," said Mishari al Thaybi, a Saudi writer and analyst for the London-based newspaper Al Sharq al Awsat.
"Tourists are the best ambassadors for any country," Mishari added. Visit Saudi Arabia, but dress and behave appropriately by Lara Sukhtian
Mark Alexander
8 comments:
From the article: All female tourists will be required to dress according to Saudi tradition: covered from head to toe with only their face, hands and feet exposed. And in the most conservative city, the capital, Riyadh, women must wear a black robe over their clothes.
Guess those customs leave me out! I'd suffocate in such garb.
I'm sure that Saudi has its own type of natural beauty. All places do.
I will place it on my iternerary after Chernobyl, Beritut, Baghdad, France, a local insane assylum and a whole bunch of other places I have no interest in going.
beakerkin, I agree with your itinerary. All of this notwithstanding, I presume that most often visiting Saudi Arabia comes after a protracted stay in an 'insane assylum' as those who visit SA must be crazy...
Always:
Guess those customs leave me out! I'd suffocate in such garb.
They are definitely not you! :-)
I'm sure that Saudi has its own type of natural beauty. All places do.
Yes, but when one goes on holiday, it is quite nice to be able to get back to the hotel and enjoy a drink. All you could have in Saudi would be a mint tea, Arabic coffee, or a Pepsi-Cola! Not quite the same as a whisky and soda!
If one went to Oman, one would be able to appreciate the beauty of the Arab world, and still be able to enjoy a drink in one of the international hotels. So why choose SA as a holiday destination?
Beakerkin:
RAFL!
UIP & Mussolini:
What can I say?
Hmm...American beaches where looking can get you a lawsuit (sexism! lookism!) or Saudia Arabia, where looking can get you murdered. Yes, I'd still choose U.S beaches, but maybe I'll invest in some binoculars or get a fake ID or something. *laughs*
This is all pretense to make people think that they are normal people like others
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