Can Saudi Arabia become a premier tourist hotspot?
It has sun, sea and (lots of) sand. But people are wary of visiting the kingdom
Recent events in Saudi Arabia have not been a good advert for tourism. Between 2m and 3m Muslims visit the country each year for the hajj, the annual five-day pilgrimage that all Muslims aspire to do at least once. Last month, as temperatures exceeded 50°C, more than 1,300 people died, many from heat stress. The country’s authorities have been castigated for failing to take care of the pilgrims.
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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Call of the desert”
From the July 6th 2024 edition
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