Skip navigation
Saudi Arabia: Open for Tourists
Video

Saudi Arabia: Open for Tourists


auto-generated audio
auto-generated audio

Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • Overview
  • Background
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

A visit to Saudi Arabia – a conservative Islamic country with strict gender-based laws – is unlikely at the top of many Westerners’ bucket lists. Yet as the oil-dependent nation seeks to diversify its economy, it’s banking on tourism to supply an alternative source of revenue. While the hajj draws 15 million Muslim visitors to Mecca annually, it remains to be seen whether planned luxury resorts will appeal to Westerners. getAbstract recommends the Economist Film’s brief overview of an evolving economy to investors and to tourists seeking the road less traveled.

Take-Aways

  • Saudi Arabia relies on oil for 80% of its revenues.  Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi’s crown prince, is attempting to diversify the country’s economy by developing a tourist industry.
  • He plans to invest billions of dollars to transform 50 islands in the Red Sea into a luxury tourist resort.
  • This is a risky move. Saudi Arabia’s strict laws may deter Westerners from viewing the country as an attractive vacation destination.

About the Speaker

Economist Films produces documentaries that investigate economic, social and political issues.