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For such a wealthy country with rich history and strong economic ties to the US, I've never heard of anyone visiting Saudi Arabia and I've never seen any promot

For such a wealthy country with rich history and strong economic ties to the US, I've never heard of anyone visiting Saudi Arabia and I've never seen any promotions or advertisements to visit. Are there travel restrictions there?

roymurdock 9y ago
SA doesn't issue tourist visas. Also - "Many travellers remain wary of visiting Saudi Arabia due to its extremely conservative culture and instability in the region...Major cities in Saudi Arabia such as Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran are considered to be vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Saudi Arabia still enforces strict Islamic rules on dress codes and gender segregation, though the Crown Prince's reforms may see this change. Public cinemas and theatres are also banned, another restriction which may need to be lifted if the country is to attract foreign tourists." https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/saudi-arabia-tourist-visas-2018-first-issue-holidays-middle-east-flights-laws-relaxed-latest-his-a8073396.html https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/saudi-a...
- kahnpro 9y ago
  And aren't Mecca and (central) Medina off-limits to non-Muslims?
Cthulhu_ 9y ago
https://wikitravel.org/en/Saudi_Arabia https://wikitravel.org/en/Saudi_Arabia has a nice overview: * No entry if you're from or have been to Israel * No entry if you're from or have been from a country afflicted with ebola * No entry if you're from Quatar * Heavy punishments up to death if you don't follow their laws. That is, no pork, no alcohol, no non-islam religions, no homosexuality, porn, or unmarried sex. Also keep the clothing things in mind; no shorts / t-shirt there, and women probably need to cover their heads. Anyway, I did see tourism adverts on TV, advertising the sail hotel and such (forgot the name).
- TuringNYC 9y ago
  Certainly not defending SA, but... Sail hotel is in Dubai (in the U.A.E.)...different country. As for the laws, pretty much everything goes inside compounds, which is where nearly all westerners live.
swarnie_ 9y ago
I mean... Do you want to go there? The impression i get is they don't like outsiders unless they're filthy rich.

roymurdock 9y ago

SA doesn't issue tourist visas. Also - "Many travellers remain wary of visiting Saudi Arabia due to its extremely conservative culture and instability in the region...Major cities in Saudi Arabia such as Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran are considered to be vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Saudi Arabia still enforces strict Islamic rules on dress codes and gender segregation, though the Crown Prince's reforms may see this change. Public cinemas and theatres are also banned, another restriction which may need to be lifted if the country is to attract foreign tourists." https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/saudi-arabia-tourist-visas-2018-first-issue-holidays-middle-east-flights-laws-relaxed-latest-his-a8073396.html https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/saudi-a...

kahnpro 9y ago
And aren't Mecca and (central) Medina off-limits to non-Muslims?

Cthulhu_ 9y ago

https://wikitravel.org/en/Saudi_Arabia https://wikitravel.org/en/Saudi_Arabia has a nice overview: * No entry if you're from or have been to Israel * No entry if you're from or have been from a country afflicted with ebola * No entry if you're from Quatar * Heavy punishments up to death if you don't follow their laws. That is, no pork, no alcohol, no non-islam religions, no homosexuality, porn, or unmarried sex. Also keep the clothing things in mind; no shorts / t-shirt there, and women probably need to cover their heads. Anyway, I did see tourism adverts on TV, advertising the sail hotel and such (forgot the name).

TuringNYC 9y ago
Certainly not defending SA, but... Sail hotel is in Dubai (in the U.A.E.)...different country. As for the laws, pretty much everything goes inside compounds, which is where nearly all westerners live.

swarnie_ 9y ago

I mean... Do you want to go there? The impression i get is they don't like outsiders unless they're filthy rich.