Tourism is a sector that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should focus on, with regards to its vision of diversifying Saudi’s economy. Currently, Saudi’s economy is heavily reliant on the oil and petroleum industry. In the long run, it is not wise to base an economy on oil because the reserves will eventually run out. Also, the global push to create a greener future has caused Saudi Arabia to craft its vision for a post-oil era. Tourism is a feasible option for Saudi Arabia’s aim of diversifying away from oil. This article will discuss which factors enable the tourism industry to flourish, the relationship of the tourism industry with Saudi unemployment and the impact of gender segregation on the tourism industry.

One strength is the kingdom’s abundance of UNESCO world heritage sites, which are appealing to foreign tourists. The Kingdom has over 4000 registered archaeological sites. Al-Ahsa, Diriyah and Historic Jeddah are sites that will attract many tourists. It is visible that the Kingdom has already prepared for the tourism that it expects in the future, as the Ad Diriyah Art Center is an extremely modern facility that is able to host a large number of tourists. The Land of Civilisation (Al Qarah Mountain) is another great example. The Land of Civilisation tourist attraction is modern. There are English tour guides, information plaques in Arabic and English, and a museum and a gift shop. On the other hand, some sites require rapid refurbishment, one of those locations being Ameriyah School in Al-Ahsa. This was the first school in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia, with a rich history capable of attracting foreign tourists. Unfortunately, its current physical state is a deterrent effect for tourism. The restoration of the small school has lasted disproportionately long, as works have been going on for several months. The place is currently dusty and empty. International tourism will only flourish if tourist sites are modernised. One of the aims of the 2030 Vision is to uphold the Arabic language. Saudi Arabia must try to find a balance between attracting tourists by providing information in foreign languages (Chinese, English and Russian) while also respecting the Arabic language and its presence within the Kingdom.

Tourism can help alleviate the issues of youth unemployment. Currently one in four young adults (20-24 years old) is unemployed[1]. The tourism industry in Saudi Arabia is growing.

The new visa policy that offers tourist visas of 49 countries was used 25,000 in the first few days. The concerted initiatives in building the tourism sector will strengthen the contribution of tourism from 3 per cent now to 10 per cent in 2030, when Saudi Arabia hopes to welcome 100 million annual tourists, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Many job opportunities will arise. The kingdom should ensure that young Saudi adults, which make up a large proportion of the Saudi population are involved in the expansion of the tourism industry. This involves providing the population with sufficient and appropriate education. The government should ensure that all regions of the country are involved. Having spoken to locals, a concern is that mainly children from affluent families based in large cities succeed in the job market. In the United Kingdom, this issue is tackled by social mobility charities and university programmes that have lower entry standards for students from low-performing secondary schools. Saudi Arabia must ensure that individuals from socially immobile backgrounds are able to capitalise of the country’s economic diversification.

An issue that I think will challenge the development of the tourism industry is gender segregation in Saudi Arabia. Before I continue, I want to express that this is my personal view and that I understand that I am a guest in Saudi Arabia. The following reasoning is written from a European perspective. Gender segregation can be shocking for international tourists and put them off from travelling to the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia has improved regarding women’s legal rights, as women can now drive, and women can now sit with men in restaurants. Legally there has been change, but in practice the change in legislation has not been adopted everywhere. There are still many restaurants that have one entrance for families and women, and another entrance for single men. Also, I have personally experienced discrimination based on gender at the Movenpick Hotel in Jeddah. The pool facilities, sauna and health club are only available to male guests. Female guests are not welcome to use these certain facilities. Usually, hotels have options for both men and women, for example by having separate opening times for men and women. I think that international tourists will struggle to accept segregation based on gender and strongly dislike certain amenities not being available to women. Also, in no way am I trying to impose western standards on Saudi Arabia, I am merely stating how I think foreign tourists will react to conservative Saudi cultural values. It is common for social change to follow after the implementation of laws. Since the laws have been imposed very recently (time of writing this article is 11th February 2020 and the abolishment of segregation in restaurants law was implemented in December 2019) [2], it would be unfair to judge social change this soon. Saudi Arabia must be given some time to socially welcome the new legislation.

In conclusion, there are many strengths and opportunities which allow Saudi’s tourism industry to become successful, however there are also certain challenges. Saudi Arabia has plenty historical sites that are appealing to international tourists. The Kingdom must ensure that modern facilities accompany the sites. Saudi Arabia should guarantee that the growth of the tourism industry will benefit all members of society. Youth unemployment will hopefully decrease as the tourism industry expands. Also, there has been some positive change regarding female rights, but the current situation (as of February 2020) will deter tourists. It will be a challenge for Saudi Arabia to further modernise and open its doors to tourism, while at the same time maintain its cultural and national identity.

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My name is Christian Lin Derz and I currently study law at King’s College London, currently specialising in commercial law. The first 18 years of my life I grew up in The Hague in The Netherlands, the international city of peace and justice. My family is international as my father is German, and my mother is Chinese. Gateway KSA has allowed me to experience Saudi Arabia from a cultural and academic perspective.

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