Saudi Arabia a hidden treasure trove

By Anna Mary

To most of the world Saudi Arabia is the epicentre of Islam -- the birthplace and spiritual heartland of the Faith. The desert kingdom is well-known for the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. But what many don’t know is that the country is also full of cultural treasures belonging to its preIslamic heritage.

Saudi Arabian tourism department has now swung its figurative doors wide open to the world. So now tourists across the globe can explore the country beyond its religious heritage.

Pilgrims from India travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah through the facilitation of the state Hajj committee. “There are private organisers too but we are affiliated with the Ministry of Minority Affairs (Haj Cell), Govt of India as a single body to communicate our concerns,” says Iqbal Ahmed Siddiqui, Chairman, Karnataka State Haj Organisers’ Association (KSHOA).

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not only opened its doors for tourism but will also provide travel amenities. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is planning to launch a national airline exclusively for tourists to explore Saudi Arabia.

The Crown Prince has introduced Vision 30, a strategic framework to reduce the country’s dependence on oil, and develop its public service sectors, especially tourism. “The Kingdom wants to promote Saudi tourism on a large scale and aims to create one million jobs in the tourism sector,” says Siddiqui.

There are massive tourism development projects that are coming up in Saudi Arabia like the Red Sea Project. This is a property development project announced by the Crown Prince planned to be established on the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast. The project is mainly focused on tourism, hoping to attract tourists to visit and explore the Saudi western coast.

The country has five UNESCO world heritage sites, a thriving local culture, and spectacular natural beauty. The world heritage sites are Al-Ahsa Oasis, an evolving cultural landscape, At-Turaif district in ad-Dir’iyah, Hegra archaeological site, a cultural area and the historic city of Jeddah, the gateway to Makkah.

Saudi Arabia has hidden treasures that were not accessible to tourists for decades. There are more than two hundred sites in Saudi Arabia, pre-Islamic and post-Islamic, that tourists will be able to visit. There are also some caveats though: non-Muslims will not be allowed to visit the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Earlier people visited the country only to perform Hajj and Umrah and not for tourism. Until now, no one was allowed to visit heritage sites. But the government has decided to relax these restrictions. “It is the dawn of a new era. It will especially be interesting for those who want to understand how Islam was born, and how it spread throughout the world.” says Siddiqui.

Saudi Arabia is expanding its tourism sectors in collaboration with South Asian countries. According to Siddiqui the countries that are most interested in exploring Saudi Arabia are Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Malaysia. “Indians spend 1200 dollars more than others per trip as they stay longer. Therefore, India is a niche market that the country would like to cultivate” says he. The recently launched Umrah Plus package will be available throughout the year. It is being promoted as a religious pilgrimage combined with visiting the new places. The Saudi government has already issued lakhs of visas and has got a great response.

Twenty million people visit Saudi Arabia every year. The kingdom hopes to increase the figure to 100 million by the year 2030. The present religious tourism constitutes almost 2.7 percent of the GDP, which they aim to increase to 10 percent by 2030. Why wait for the annual pilgrimage? Pack your bags right away and head for these unexplored heritage sites of the desert kingdom.