A remarkable deal was sealed at the beginning of June: Saudi Arabia and the US tourism company Habitas signed a cooperation agreement for the equivalent of 365 million euros.
At first glance, the collaboration seems surprising: Habitas, for example, organizes the so-called Burning Man Festival in the American desert. They love drinking, dancing, experimental drug use and revealing clothing.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is governed by a conservative royal family, does not tolerate any political opposition and, despite all modernization, explicitly sees itself as an Islamic country. Alcohol is strictly forbidden in public. In addition, the state continues to impose the death penalty for certain offences.
However, there is a good reason for the cooperation. Saudi Arabia invests billions in its tourism sector. The country wants to increase the contribution of tourism to national income from the current three percent to ten percent. In addition, one million new jobs are to be created in the sector.
Less oil, more tourists?
It wasn’t until 2019 that the oil-rich kingdom started making it easier for international visitors to enter the country. This runs via an electronic visa, which can currently be purchased for the equivalent of 130 euros. Until then, the country mostly only allowed business people and pilgrims to enter.
“It’s exciting to see what’s happening there,” Markus Pillmayer, a professor of tourism at Munich University of Applied Sciences, told DW. “Until recently, Saudi Arabia was still a blank spot on the tourist map.” However, it is still too early to assess the chances of success of the Saudi tourism plans, which – together with other measures – should also be used in the future to offset the expected decline in oil revenues, on which the country’s wealth has been based is based
The efforts are considerable. The corresponding investment fund has a volume of up to one trillion US dollars. In addition, the Kingdom has signed deals with some of the biggest companies in the industry, such as Hilton, Hyatt and Accor. A new airline, Riyadh Air, is scheduled to start operations in 2025.
Participants in the Hajj Islamic pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The country now wants to increasingly attract simple tourists to the country Photo: Elif Ozturk Ozgoncu/AA/picture alliance
At the same time as the country is building hotels and buying planes, it has also been reviving its six previously neglected UNESCO World Heritage Sites to accommodate larger visitor numbers. Other major projects are in the planning stage. For example “Mukaab”, a gigantic entertainment and shopping center on the outskirts of Riyadh, as well as new resorts along the Red Sea coast. The country is also trying to establish itself as a venue for professional sports such as football and golf. Critics complain that Saudi Arabia engages in “sportswashing” with the help of professional sports in order to distract attention from ongoing human rights violations in the country.
The year-long advertising campaign in the tourism sector is apparently already paying off. The London-based World Travel and Tourism Council reported last year that Saudi Arabia has the fastest growing tourism sector in the Middle East. By 2025, the country will attract around 40 percent more international visitors than nearby Dubai, which has been experienced in tourism for years.
Challenge of climate change
However, the industry also faces some problems. “There has been a lot of investment and the plans have every chance of success,” said Justin Francis, co-founder and managing director of UK-based responsible travel tour operator Responsible Travel. “However, I’m not completely convinced yet. There will certainly be strong resistance”.
The tourism sector is increasingly threatened by rapid climate change. The Middle East, for example, is one of the four regions hardest hit by water scarcity, according to a 2019 paper published as part of the Annals of Tourism Research. Scarce water is one of the biggest problems in Saudi Arabia. The country uses huge amounts of energy to operate desalination plants. Given the massive use of groundwater sources, it is questionable how the many hotel swimming pools can be safely filled.
The so-called ‘Red Sea Project’, whose luxury resort with its own airport is scheduled to open later this year, is likely to cause headaches for conservationists. The project boasts that it relies exclusively on renewable energies and does not discharge any waste water into the sea. According to analysts who studied the plans, however, they leave at least several details and questions unanswered.
Habitas boasts that its first operating hotel in Saudi Arabia uses solar power and eliminates single-use plastic. However, on rating portals such as Tripadvisor, guests reported that plastic-coated tea bags and coffee pods were used in the hotel. They also criticized the lack of public transport.
“There’s a lot of marketing hype – and with it, greenwashing,” says Francis. “It is important to thoroughly question claims about sustainability and responsible tourism. Because mass tourism would put a significant strain on resources – especially water.”
Hard hand of the state: Rally to commemorate the Saudi regime critic Jamal Khashoggi, who was allegedly murdered by regime forces flown in Istanbul in 2018, 2021, Newcastle, Great BritainImage: Jon Super/AP/picture alliance
Cocktails am Strand verboten?
According to travel expert Francis, other challenges that stand in the way of the successful development of tourism in Saudi Arabia are the human rights situation and the very conservative local culture. For example, despite some groundbreaking reforms, Saudi Arabia still restricts the rights of local women and criminalizes sex before marriage and same-sex relationships. After opening up to tourism in 2019, the country relaxed some rules, but mostly only for foreign visitors.
According to the website of the Saudi tourism authority, all guests are welcome, including those from the LGBTQ scene, interested parties assured there. “Unmarried couples can share accommodation.” However, visitors should abide by local customs, the site recommends.
In addition, international tour operators are hoping for a relaxation of alcohol regulations in private holiday resorts. But alcoholic beverages are still banned and there are other restrictions. A Saudi information site on the Internet lists possible fines for inappropriate clothing or offensive behavior in public. What is meant are public displays of affection such as holding hands. At the same time, however, the state has granted the country’s women in particular considerable freedoms in recent years that seemed completely unthinkable for a long time.
But there are also reasons for the persistently negative image of the country, especially in the West. When influencers started posting images about Saudi tourism on social media in 2019, some followers were critical. “The Saudi government executed 37 people in a single day in April,” wrote a commenter on Dubai-based musician Lana Rose’s Instagram account. “Shame on you for normalizing them.”
ethical dilemma
Others are more confident: “Few countries can boast an unblemished record from human rights to fossil fuels to animal welfare,” says alternative travel entrepreneur Justin Francis. “But Saudi Arabia is a particularly controversial travel destination and presents travelers with an ethical dilemma.”
But Saudi tourism could diversify, Francis hopes: “Away from the massive luxury golf and resort vacations, instead concentrating on the country’s natural and cultural treasures, and doing so in a responsible manner.” However, this hope seems “quite far removed from the currently advertised model,” he admits.
The German tourism professor Pillmayer agrees. He would like to see Saudi Arabia make serious efforts to comply with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which include human rights. “The current trend – higher, faster, further – should be viewed critically.”
Adapted from the English by Kersten Knipp.
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