Tourism in Saudi-Arabia Faces Many Obstacles

"My Kingdom will survive only insofar as it remains a country difficult to access, where the foreigner will have no other aim, with his task fulfilled, but to get out." - King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, c. 1930


Not exactly the most welcoming words coming from the ruler of a country that is said to be home to one of the most hospitable people in the world. Perhaps the Saudi officials have taken the late King's words too literally when it comes to accommodating for international visitors to Saudi-Arabia.

Currently most of the tourism to Saudi-Arabia is religious and business related. International tourists are kept away from Saudi by imposing numerous limitations on travelers. Saudi-Arabia has great potential for the international tourism market however the industry still remains predominantly under-developed.

Why does Saudi-Arabia need international tourists?
There would be many benefits of having more international travelers visiting the Kingdom:

• Creating new jobs for Saudis all over the country
• Helping Saudis reconnect with their roots and increase national pride
• Giving the Kingdom a more open and accommodating image worldwide. 
• Increasing environmental awareness and nature conservation
• Spreading cultural awareness among Saudis 
• Boosting economy 
• Improving service quality and infrastructure
• Helping to establish a more efficient public transportation system

Discrimination, Restrictions, Surveillance
So what keeps international travelers from coming to the Kingdom? The biggest obstacle for tourists interested in travelling to the Kingdom is the difficulty to obtain tourist visas. A Saudi sponsor is required to start the visa application process. In other words lots of paperwork and time which people are not always willing to invest in when planning recreational travel.

Currently there are only five companies licensed to sponsor tourism visas. They are issued to certain nationalities only and tourists must arrive in groups of minimum four persons. Women must be over 30 or be accompanied by a male relative. Upon arrival the tourists have to be picked up by the tour company representative and they must make sure all the tourists leave the country too. While in the country the tourists are supposed to stay on guided tours and the tour company is responsible for their supervision. Any "lost" tourists must be reported immediately to police.

Here is a full list of restrictions that apply to foreign travelers: http://www.jawlahtours.com/travel-visa.aspx

The Surprising Sand-pit
Another obstacle the tourism industry faces is Saudi-Arabia's bleak image of being a mere sand-pit. Travelers are simply not aware of the rich cultural heritage the Kingdom could offer. Saudi-Arabia boasts incredibly diverse scenery, colorful culture and pristine nature.
There are places of interest that match many international destinations but the ones in Saudi are not ruined by mass tourism. Some sites can still be explored without disturbance from a single other tourist group.

Female Travelers
Many women feel intimidated by the rules and restrictions that apply to them in the Kingdom. They might feel they are not welcome and expect the experience of being a woman in Saudi-Arabia will be mostly negative. Female travelers are usually anxious about what to wear and stress about having to keep the abaya on at all times. The western media paints a very negative image of the treatment of women in the Kingdom which can be off-putting for both the female and male traveler.

In the Future
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, SCTA (founded in 2000) aims to establish a thriving tourism industry within a time frame of 20 years. SCTA states that its mission is to promote the Kingdom as a tourism destination. The mission according to their website: "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the land of Islam, seeks for variable and distinguished tourism development, with social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits in the framework of its Islamic values and genuine traditional hospitality".

The Commission has launched many ongoing projects aiming to improve the tourism industry. Time will tell if they reach their goals, but with the majority of the potential foreign travelers warded off by unattractive images, strict regulations and discouraging rules, perhaps the Commission should concentrate on getting the visitor into the country in the first place.
At the moment most of the sites will remain accessible to foreigners of the expat community only.

SCTA has launched some videos promoting tourism in the Kingdom. I found the clips surprisingly well made and interesting.
Heritage and Culture of Saudi Arabia:

Tourism in Saudi-Arabia:

A clip from Gizan area in the Southern part of the country. This is the port to the Farasan Islands, one of Jacques Cousteau's favorite diving destinations. A place so beautiful yet untouched by mass tourism is hard to find elsewhere in the world.

The Medinah region is perhaps the most versatile and offers plenty of historical sites including Madain Saleh, The Hijaz railway, Al-Ula. and Al Khuraiba. The region has absolutely stunning scenery from the Red Sea Coast of Yanbu and the Al Harrah mountains to the magnificent Wabha crater.

The late King might be surprised that if given the chance to visit the Kingdom, the foreigner would in fact leave with a smile on his face. The amazing experiences he had and the great hospitality shown to him would spread warm stories of the Saudis and Muslims around the world. His Kingdom and its people would be enriched by the experience and would not only survive, but also thrive.

Why are foreigners not shown the genuine traditional hospitality and welcomed with open arms and doors?

EDIT: As of March 2010 Saudi-Arabia has stopped issuing tourist visas until further notice. Expected to open again in 2012.

Western woman in Riyadh? Make the best of it!

This is a playful post for all the ladies currently living in Riyadh. It might be a harsh environment and many things irritate us from time to time..But what can we do? Other than getting frustrated and anxious, try to look at it in a positive way and make your life a bit easier. I say, make the best of it! Don't spend your time complaining and moaning. It will only make you feel worse. Here's a couple suggestions how to make the most out of your time here..

Wearing abaya: Ok this is probably one of the most annoying things for most western women, you gotta wear it, so I say...make the best of it!
-get an abaya made of good quality material, not polyester which will make you a cooked vegetable in no time in the +50 heat. Best quality abayas you will find upstairs in Faisaliah and Hayat malls. They can also make abayas to order.
-abayas come in so many different styles, show your personality with a pretty or individual abaya. Go to Dirah souq and find the Waleed store where you can custom make good quality abayas. Design and personalize it! It's what you wear out all the time anyways. Try also the abaya shops in Royal mall and Hayat mall, most offer custom made abayas and if you can afford it, Kingdom center third floor has some amazing exquisite collection of abayas.
-go shopping in your pyjamas, under the abaya :D


Not being able to drive: Very frustrating sometimes especially for women who enjoy driving and are used to doing it alot.
- while you're being driven around by your driver, make the most of your time! Read a good book, a newspaper, call a friend, or your mother! Do your makeup on the way (ok depends on your driver's skills and how stable your hand is).
- if you have a jeep or husband /friend that can rent one go out to the desert to drive! It's fun but be careful don't venture too far. Bedouin women drive around all the time, once you've passed the checkpoints you will be fine. Check out the book "Desert treks from Riyadh" available in Jarir book stores.
- go to the Reem race track!they have carting and women can drive too!Exit 11.
- rent quadbikes or beach buggies to get rid of the extra "driving withdrawal symptoms". Available at red Sands area Mecca highaway and the Thumamah area.

Extreme heat: When temperatures start topping 45c everyday, it's not very pleasant to be outside anymore.
-make sure your abaya is made from natural materials. Some abayas are so thin you won't even feel like you're wearing one.
-make the best out of the dry heat and dry your laundry outside! In minutes you will have wrinkle free dry laundry.
-take all your bedding and mattresses out, cook well on both sides..and wa'la you have gotten rid of all possible living things such as bedbugs or dustmites!
- to create curls in no time, after showering apply some moisturizing leave in conditioner and/or heat activated styler. Apply hair rolls or tie your hair in couple small braids. Optionally cover your hair with a scarf to protect from sun. Go out for about 15 min to half an hour depending on your hair length and desired result (preferably in yard or pool area, can't recommend venturing out in public). While waiting for hair to dry apply nail polish if you like, it will dry by the time your hair is done. Can also be done in the evenings but needs more time.

Hard water: Many women have noticed that after a while their hair seems to fall out more and it becomes thinner. This is due to the water that is mostly desalinized and therefore lacks some essential minerals.
- buy some zinc and selenium supplements from any pharmacy.
- after rinsing your hair with tap water, follow by small amount bottled water to make hair softer.
-get Sodium Laurel Sulfate free shampoo available at GNC!

Boredom: Very common symptom of living in Riyadh. However treatment options are numerous to begin therapy start here with Riyadh to do guide.
- start a new hobby, keep yourself active. Try golf, salsa dancing, horse polo, or scuba-diving!
- since you have the rare opportunity to live in the Saudi-Arabia and are surrounded by Islam, why not find out a little more about the religion? I guarantee you won't be bored anymore! The WAMY centre opposite Owais souq is a great place to visit to learn more.
-Check out Dar Adh-Dhikr, an Islamic center for women and children (boys up to the age of 6) to learn Arabic and Qur'an in the Ma'athar area

Surrounded by desert: For some its a blessing, others..not. But why not take advantage of the lack of tourism in Saudi-Arabia, you will have most places to yourself and the nature is mostly untouched.
-explore historical sites just outside Riyadh, get the Desert Treks book I mentioned before.
-visit Madain Saleh the other capital city of the ancient nabatean people. You will most likely be the only people there. Although smaller in size than Petra, I enjoyed the atmosphere more here. It seems like stepping into the past.
-Take weekend trips to the seaside, don't miss Jeddah which is a city with quite a different vibe and atmosphere than Riyadh!

-join the Riyadh Hash Harriers who organize desert walks every weekend and camping in cooler months, ask around from westerners for contact details!

-explore the mostly untouched Saudi side of the Red sea coast. Want to start start scuba-diving? Blue Reef divers 014644134 (in my opinion the best operator in KSA) has courses running all year round. The lectures and pool training are in Riyadh, and open water training will take a weekend in Jeddah. The Red Sea is full of amazing underwater life! If you have a chance, go to the Farasan Islands, one of Jacque Cousteau's favorite places! A wonderland for divers, there is virtually no other humans (except for the odd fisherman). Currently only two hotels on the main island (reachable by ferry from Jizan) The Farasan Hotel: +96673161166

Gender segregation: Most public places will be separate for men and women, it might get frustrating to always find the right place but there can be some advantages to this too!
- you won't have to que in banks when you go to the ladies section it's hardly ever crowded
- shopping at Kingdom center ladies only floor with own entrance. Good place to watch the World Cup from big screen without hoards of men is the Supermodel Cafe.
-shopping at the ladies only shopping mall exit 14 called Bushra ladies Mall
-Panorama mall ladies only section
- as a woman you should be served first if there'so clear mens/ladies que, but of course this is not always the case. A polite smile might get you in front of the line.
-always take advantage of the ladies sections of Saudi airlines offices and get things done in 5 min compared to 5hours on the men's side.
- on Saudi airlines (and most other national airlines) flights you can always change seats if you happen to be sitting next to a man, just request for another seat. They will give you a window seat if available, and if you're lucky an upgrade to business class.
- at the airport pass the men in the baggage security check line, they don't usually mind if you put your bag first, then pass through the ladies security check and you will be done in no time.

It all comes down to attitudes. We can't change these things but we can change our outlook on them. It's mostly up to ourselves how we handle it and a positive open mind will never do you harm!

Riyadh To Do Guide

I often hear people complaining or boredom and lack of activities in KSA, especially here in conservative Riyadh.
Yet I for some reason am always short of time to do things!
Of course it depends alot on yourself, how active you are in trying to find things to do. It IS more difficult here, but it doesnt mean that theres "nothing to do".
I ask these people, well what did you use to do back home on your freetime then? Often they'd reply: go to cafes, bars or nightclubs, restaurants, friends homes,the gym, shopping..Well you can do all of that here too! Although I'm not going to publicly post where all these activities might be, by asking around you will find quite easily if you're an expat and interested in some of those activities ;)

As an expat in KSA you will have more variety of activities than locals, depending on if you're male/female. By more variety I mean expats can get into all western compounds, that have all kind of activities ranging from dance classes, language courses, theme days for families, rugby or soccer matches, concerts, etc etc. Embassies also arrange concerts, art exhibitions, national days, and parties. The problem is you must know someone to get into these places, and security is high of course.

As for cafeterias and restaurants, the choices are endless, and that will be a topic on its own.I will only mention my favorites: Brazilian restaurant Il Terazzo in hotel Faisalia, outside terrace with open oven bbq overlooking Faisalia tower!Or Sitta shams -the ultimate arabic food experience, the restaurant is huge and even has its own parkinghall and elevators. Romaizan is the best the compound restaurant which offers tasty food and drinks in relaxed atmosphere. Dont miss having "High Tea" at the Faisaliah tower Globe. Expats often take off their abayas and the atmosphere is relaxed. Upstairs is the more intimate Cigar Lounge for romantic evenings :)

the shooting range at Dirab Golf club

Tahlia street boasts cafeterias and restaurants one after another. You can walk around the 'boardwalk" and see really nice cars driving by! Ferraris, Hummers, Porsches..The downside is that if you're a lady you will attract alot of attention, so best you walk with your husband or in a group of friends and just ignore the eager beavers.
For men there is numerous terraces you can sit outside and enjoy the warm evenings. Unfortunately at the moment I dont know of any that allow women to sit outside..they are all single male sections :( Although I have on couple of occasions spotted some women sitting with their husbands.
EDIT: 3rd floor Centria mall Lenotre cafe has an outside sitting mixed sitting area!

Theres plenty of male only gyms all around town, but female only is a bit more difficult to find, but they do exist. There is one in Almultaka center, Yibreen spa, Almanahil inside DQ (diplomatic quarters)to name a few. There's also a walking/ running track that goes around the DQ.
If you want to start golfing there are many good places to get started and have lessons like the Intercontinental right in middle of the city has a golf course. Also Riyadh golf club and Dirab golf club have courses, the Arizona compound has their own course too! Dirab also has polo and horsebackriding. It requires membership though..

Females are allowed to golf and even drive golf carts in saudi :)



There are places just outside Riyadh about 20-30 min drive away where you can rent quadbikes for couple hours and drive on the dunes. Yes women can drive them too :) My favorite is Thumamah area, on weekdays its almost empty, you can have the vast desert to yourself, but dont get lost!Weekends it packed with young saudi men, who sometimes get a little too carried away when they see western women driving around. On the way to Thumamah you can pass by the camel souq and haggle on one of the 1,000000 Saudi riyal camels.

The Red Sands area west of Riyadh along the Mecca highway is aa beautiful place to go just for the scenery. Also possible to rent quadbikes there.

There are numerous other desert treks and picnicking spots around Riyadh, but again I will only mention my favorite Rawdhat Khuraim. Once you get there you will not believe you're in Saudi-Arabia, its so green!Its about an hour drive from the city, on the Dammam higway then take the Remah rd. It's a huge green area with trees and a small stream flows through it during the winter motnhs (if its rained).

Then theres alot of historical sites to explore around Riyadh, like the ancient  City of Old Diriyah. Its a historically interesting site to visit including the famous Salwa palace. During 1745, a strong Islamic reform movement took place over here. Besides this in the past the old city of Diriyah was also considered to be the largest in Arabian Peninsula. However, in the first part of 19th century Turks destroyed this city and afterwards Riyadh captured it. Walk amongst the ruins of mud and brick built houses, palaces bath houses and mosques. Best visited in cooler months.

The summer heats are a good time to visit The King Abdul Aziz Historical centre it's located near the Masmak fort in Dirah area. It includes a remodeled mosque, the old original Murabba' Palace with main Diwan renovated as "living museum", the "Memorial Hall" on the outlines of an old courtyard house, a modern exhibition hall for the car collection,  the new Al-Dara main lobby and multipurpose hall, a documentation center with a separated men's and women's library each, an art gallery and a large internal garden.

Nearby and definately worth a visit, The National Museum will take you a good three hours to walk through. I went on a bachelors only evening, but they still let us girls in, so I guess they are not too strict about the visitors genders.

During June 2010 there is an exhibition on King Khaled in a separate building. The whole area is surrounded by parks, waterfalls, fountains and picnic areas. It's especially nice to stroll around in the beautiful evening lighting. It's possible to walk to the now restored old water tower, there is a restaurant on top with nice views of the city. The whole Historical Centre area covers some 360,000 square meters!

Just a stones throw away is the Haia's aka muttawas headquarters next to the the infamous "cho-chop- square. The area is called Dirah, there is a clocktower next to the huge souq area.You can spend hours wandering around the antique, gold and carpet, abaya, souvenir and furniture souqs of Dirah, haggling and having endless cups of tea with the shopkeepers. Most of them are Afghani and have interesting stories to tell.

For families with kids, (small or grown-up) you can go to various theme parks and amusement parks on the outskirts of town, just make sure its singles/families/womens only day accordingly :) Most of them are situated along the Thumamah highway.

Theres many parks for picnicking around central Riyadh, although most are for families only.Theres also a man made river/lake area on Sitteen street where you can rent peddal boats and have picnic in the cottges. Snow world on King Abdullah rd is a smaller version of Dubais inside winter wonderland. They dont have a large skiing slope but you can play in the snow and have fun with your kids!

And when it comes to shopping, new shopping malls seem to be sprouting like mushrooms after the rain :D
One of the newest is Riyadh Galleria which has a nice little river and fountains among cafeterias in the middle.
Most of the biggest malls (Hayat, Granada, Faisalia, Riyadh galleria) have huge entertainment areas for children, the noise is overwhelming though!Alot of families will leave the children there with nannys or their older children to look after while they go shopping. Some even have iceskating rinks and rollercoasters!



For a very different experience visit the huge sheesha cafes on Damman highway. The biggest one is over 10000 sqm and fits 2000 people at a time!if you're a football fan go on a match day and the place will be packed and the atmosphere is fun and welcoming. This activity is mainly for males, but they do have family sections also

If you're into bowling, there's couple places around the city centre you can practise your skills. This seems to be very popular among philipino expats! Theres one in Khozama hotel next to Faisalia tower, one in the Intercontinental hotel and King faisal hospital has one too, but you would need to go as a guest of an employee.

Another popular family activity is rent your own "villa" or whole green area with football field, park, kids rides, swimmingpools and the likes. I dont know what they would be called in english..Like resorts where you can rent your own villa and private pool. Because saudi culture is private, they like to rent out these places for weekends for the whole family to join. Some people rent them for special occasions like birthdays. Its actually quite affordable and there is staff if you want to take care of catering and looking after the kids. In the Almarsa resort on Sharqi rd you can rent family villas, and the Wahat al Noor resort you can rent the whole place for a day and stay the night. Its a nice change for expats too if you are bored of your own compund!

This is a great chance to start or try out scuba-diving!Riyadh has two good diveshops, Blu Reef Divers and Desert Sea Divers. I f you are already a diver, explore the untouched Farasan Islands in southern KSA.

Every month or so there are women only exhibitions held at hotels or exhibitons halls like Nayyara and the Kingdom ballroom. I will post about any upcoming events, they are highly recommended by me :)