Saudi Arabia’s tourism minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb dismissed naysayers of the Kingdom’s ambitious tourism plans, telling Arab News‘ Frank Kane in an exclusive interview that the Kingdom’s target of obtaining 100 million visits by 2030 is not overambitious with big investments in the industry.
The interview, part of a series from Arab News with host Frank Kane called Frankly Speaking, highlighted the Kingdom’s large ambitions for growing the sector. Al-Khateeb invited investors to join the country’s bid in injecting $200 billion by 2030 to help build what he described as a “virgin sector” where first movers will benefit tremendously.
An area planned for development includes 90 islands off the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast.
“We opened our doors and hearts to international tourists to come and explore Saudi Arabia and experience Saudi Arabia, and experience our culture, our nature, our pristine and great beaches of the Red Sea or the East Coast and our major cities. Therefore, you know we believe we can get a big share of the 1.4 billion tourists who traveled back in 2019,” he said.
“Our target is indeed ambitious. However, we have everything we need to achieve our target.”
Kane asked Al-Khateeb about two topics often brought up in reporting on Saudi Arabia’s tourism plans: whether the Kingdom can attract Western tourists without alcohol legally served at destinations, and if women will be allowed to wear bathing suits on the pristine beaches that Saudi Arabia is seeking to open up for the first time. Al-Khateeb said that extensive research showed that “40 to 50 percent of travelers would travel to destinations that do not offer alcohol…We have a lot to offer other than alcohol. There is a lot to improve, be it in hospitality, culture, food and luxury, and therefore we will be competing on other things that tourists are traveling for,” the minister said.
Regarding women’s swimsuits, Al-Khateeb said that private beaches do allow women to wear swimsuits freely, while public ones will maintain a dress code “similar to that of other countries.”
[Click here to read the full story and video from Arab News]
