People travel to Saudi Arabia, mainly for purposes pertaining to religious tourism an/or for purposes pertaining to work and business. All this, however, may be changing very soon.
Sources have confirmed that Saudi Arabia is developing a huge tourism project, along its Red Sea coastline. The project is expected to attract travelers from all over the world. The project is likely going to be located between the two cities of Umluj and Al Wajh. The project will cover 50 islands, and 34,000 square kilometers. The project is part of a larger and more comprehensive plan to transform the country’s economy, by reducing its reliance on oil.
There are rumors that the area will be semi-autonomous, and this is a game changer on so many levels. Firstly, travelers will be required to apply for a Saudi Arabian visa; travelers to this new destination will simply have to apply for a visa online.
Secondly, the presence of this project will likely mean that laws regarding alcohol consumption, dress codes, and the mixing of genders will have to be much more lenient within the resort, then they are in the rest of the Kingdom.
Phase 1 is expected to be finished by 2022!
The proposal is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s blueprint to prepare the country for life in the post-oil era.
The idea of creating separate areas for foreigners, with looser rules also isn’t an entirely new concept to Saudi Arabia. Indeed, the Saudi Aramco compound in Dhahran, is designed like an American suburb. Moreover, on the gender-mixed campus of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, attended by Saudis, women can drive and wear whatever they want to wear.