Haifa bint Mohammed Al Saud, Assistant Minister of Tourism, confirmed that the kingdom would not change the laws banning alcohol on its territory, while announcing an increase in the number of tourists to its country.
“I’m happy to answer,” Princess Haifa said in response to a question during a meeting at the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland about recent press reports that the city of NEOM may be considering alcohol. “This question, the Saudis are clear about their situation.” Yes, we have even heard such questions from the heads of state, about when we will introduce alcohol, in short, we will continue to enforce the existing laws. ”
“The kingdom, despite its limitations, continued to attract tourists and excel globally,” he said.
“The current rules are good and we are competitive. With what we have now, we have surpassed the global level of tourism. A lot can be done without offering new things,” he said.
Video | Deputy Minister of Tourism: #Kingdom It will not change the laws banning alcohol, and despite the current restrictions, it continues to attract tourists and is world-class.# عبدالشاهی_در_داووس # اخبار pic.twitter.com/Wu43UgavOZ
– News Channel (@alekhbariyatv) May 25, 2022
He noted: In the report of the Economic Forum for Tourism Development, which was presented yesterday, Tuesday, Saudi Arabia was ranked second.
“The kingdom has risen to 33rd place in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) and is ten steps ahead of 2019,” the Saudi news agency reported Wednesday. Is.
Saudi Arabia opened its doors to tourism in 2019, and after easing the precautionary restrictions on the corona, tourists from around the world resumed their reception.
According to the official agency, the kingdom has seen a 34% increase in the number of domestic tourist trips compared to 2019.
“In 2019, when we launched the National Tourism Strategy, we started with 41 million visits in 2018, which was religious visits as the main visit, and in 2021 it ended with 63 million visits,” said the Assistant Minister of Tourism at the Davos Forum. Not only has it improved, but it has also increased, most of which is driven by local tourism.
Source: Lebanon Debate
