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Saudi Arabia: Open for Tourists
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Saudi Arabia: Open for Tourists


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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.

Summary

The “Edge of the World” is an expansive desert landscape located just outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital city. People visit this unique terrain for its breathtaking views, clean air and solitude. Yet by 2030, it will be home to an entertainment complex that, upon completion, will be 2.5 times the size of Walt Disney World.

Saudi Arabia isn’t a traditional vacation destination. Its strict Islamic laws – which segregate the sexes, require women to wear an abaya in public and forbid alcohol consumption – clash with Western cultural norms. But Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia...

About the Speaker

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