Although Saudi Arabia is trying to modernize itself and attract tourists, “this is not Dubai,” warned a tourist who visited this exotic country. Tourists there will find not only diving in Jeddah and “malls like in Dubai”, but also such exoticism that may seem shocking. For example, the fact of the public execution of 80 people. Indeed, this exotica is not specifically shown to tourists.
In his story, the tourist first noted that Saudi Arabia is the “flagship” of the Muslim world, where more than three million people come annually for the Hajj to Mecca.
And, although relaxations are being recorded in the country, including in terms of tourism, which, according to the tourist, “are associated with the name of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who shows unprecedented courage in introducing Western values into the Arab state,” some frightening exoticism remains.
“I was in dissonance. Everyone is friendly and polite. And I told my brother: “Most likely, talk about the death penalty is not true,” the tourist admitted. — We went online and found out: that in Riyadh there is a square called Chop-Chop – it’s something like Execution Place. Last year, 80 people were executed in public in this square. There were serious crimes – terrorism and other things, but the fact is that public executions continue. Therefore, there is no need to relax,” said the tourist.
However, tourists will most likely not see this “spectacle”. They can see in Saudi Arabia the huge shopping malls familiar to the UAE, where “there are all the world’s brands,” which are being built by specialists from Dubai. The attraction visited by tourists is somewhat similar – the glass-enclosed Sky Bridge in the Kingdom Center Tower skyscraper, where tourists are offered to look at the city from above from the height of the 99th floor. “Locals jokingly call it a bottle opener,” adds the tourist.
The tourist also said that it is not difficult to obtain permission to enter an exotic country.
“I couldn’t find anything on the consulate or embassy website, but there is a website called Visitsaudi.com. There you can apply for an electronic visa; you only need to fill out an application. I didn’t even include a copy of my passport, I just indicated its number, date of birth, and other basic information, and uploaded a photo. After this, the visa is sent by mail. Mine arrived in 15–20 minutes,” he presented the instructions.