New Saudi bid to woo non-Muslim tourists
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story...&IssueID=29048
New Saudi push to woo tourists
DUBAI: For the first time, Saudi Arabia is looking to encourage non-Muslim tourists.
"We promise you an experience that will hit your soul, mind and spirit ... (with) lots of nightlife," Prince Sultan bin Salman, who heads the kingdom's Supreme Commission for Tourism, said in Dubai at the opening of a tourism promotion expo.
"We have nothing to hide, we will open up so the world can see," he said, emphasising that the term 'nightlife' for Saudis tends to mean wholesome family activities.
Saudis are known for their love of night-time picnics during which they smoke water-pipes and consume large quantities of bitter coffee and tea.
Prince Sultan promised visas in 24 hours and even upon arrival for some nationals.
The kingdom, which joined the World Trade Organisation in December and has a significant youthful population eager to embrace globalisation, wants to open up to tourists, especially non-Muslims, while at the same time retaining its Islamic values and traditions.
Prince Sultan said the kingdom wants to attract 1.5 million tourists a year by 2020, excluding the millions of Muslims that flock to the kingdom for the Haj.
He spoke of the ambitious goal of making tourism account for 18 per cent of the gross domestic product by 2020.
Saudi Arabia previously announced plans to spend billions on beefing up its tourism infrastructure and to break up the monopoly held by the state-owned carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines on domestic travel.