Saudi was, at least before COVID, opening up tourism (except for the two holy cities). At least then people could go and see things for themselves, and there is

Saudi was, at least before COVID, opening up tourism (except for the two holy cities). At least then people could go and see things for themselves, and there is a liberalizing potential if the locals crave tourist income more than they fear hardliners. China, on the other hand has made it harder to visit certain regions of the country in the last 13 years.