ASSESSMENTS
Can Saudi Arabia Build a Successful Tourism Industry?
Oct 31, 2018 | 09:00 GMT

A journalist takes a picture of a tomb at Madain Saleh, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Saudi Arabia's northwest on March 31, 2018. The area is rich in archaeological remnants and seen as a jewel in the crown of future Saudi attractions as the austere kingdom works to improve tourism and open up one of the last frontiers of global tourism.
(FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)
Highlights
- Saudi Arabia is aiming to meet some of its foreign direct investment goals by developing its tourism sector — provided that the kingdom's reputation doesn't scare away potential partners.
- The country will struggle to convince global middle-class tourists to visit. It will need to differentiate itself from regional rivals and face down its image as being unwelcoming.
- A flood of new tourists — if Saudi Arabia can get them — will have cultural consequences for its insulated citizens, possibly helping to disrupt the kingdom's social contract if economic conditions don't improve.
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