{"id":468130,"date":"2022-06-27T20:25:51","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T17:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-luxury-hotels-are-racing-to-open-saudi-arabia\/"},"modified":"2022-06-27T20:25:51","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T17:25:51","slug":"why-luxury-hotels-are-racing-to-open-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-luxury-hotels-are-racing-to-open-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why luxury hotels are racing to open Saudi Arabia"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3ab77a5681a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3ab77a5681a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-luxury-hotels-are-racing-to-open-saudi-arabia\/#%E2%80%9CWhy_luxury_hotels_are_racing_to_open_Saudi_Arabia%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Why luxury hotels are racing to open Saudi Arabia&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhy_luxury_hotels_are_racing_to_open_Saudi_Arabia%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Why luxury hotels are racing to open Saudi Arabia&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>President Biden isn\u2019t the only one visiting Saudi Arabia \u2014 he\u2019s being followed by swarms of tourists.<\/p>\n<p>But you\u2019ll be forgiven for not having booked the desert kingdom for your next holiday yet. The 2018 murder of Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi and a lifetime of draconian religious policing that kept women nearly homebound, meant that theocratic Saudi wasn\u2019t a palatable destination to all but the most intrepid non-Muslim adventurers.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Saudi didn\u2019t even offer a tourism visa until September 2019, when the Gulf nation announced that visitors from 49 countries could enter for a fee of just $117 at the airport. Months later, COVID struck \u2014 overshadowing what would have otherwise been an eyebrow-raising announcement for intrepid <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ers.<\/p>\n<p>Around the same time, Saudi quietly neutered the powers of its tyrannizing religious police, known for harassing women, stifling free expression and skulking around to ensure that no one ever had any fun. Without much ado, women began to drive, movie theaters opened, music could be heard in public and head scarves were pulled back for the first time. <\/p>\n<p>In 2019, a massive music festival, dubbed the MDLBeast, debuted. Thousands of twentysomethings from around the world arrived decked out in rave gear for a line up cribbed from Miami\u2019s Ultra (think Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Deadmau5, Ti\u00ebsto and Steve Aoki) at a venue that looks like Burning Man. The same year, Mariah Carey became the first to perform before a mixed-gender audience in Saudi.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MDLBEAST SOUNDSTORM \u201921 Aftermovie - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Music Festival  \u0645\u062f\u0644 \u0628\u064a\u0633\u062a | \u0633\u0627\u0648\u0646\u062f\u0633\u062a\u0648\u0631\u0645 \u0662\u0661\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qkSO51oqB0w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The welcome liberalization of Saudi society is just a piece of a $1 trillion push to build a global tourism economy and turn the oil-dependent nation into the world\u2019s playground. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hopes to attract some 100 million visitors by 2030 (in 2019, it attracted just 17.5 million international visitors, according to the World Tourism Organization), which would make Saudi one of the most visited countries on earth.<\/p>\n<p>Attracting more tourists than most European nations to what remains a sober, authoritarian and at times puzzling place sounds far-fetched, but the infrastructure that will eventually turn Saudi into a dozen Dubais is almost here. Love or hate Saudi, you soon won\u2019t be able to ignore it.<\/p>\n<p>Most significantly, the first phase of the $50.6 billion Diriyah Gate development in Riyadh will debut this fall.<\/p>\n<p>Saudi plans to nearly double the population of its capital city by 2030 (including the addition of millions of expats). This 370-acre project \u2014 some 13 times the size of Hudson Yards \u2014 will be a cornerstone of that effort, drawing an estimated 25 million visitors a year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-4.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Old will meet new in the forthcoming Diriyah Gate project. \" class=\"wp-image-22820473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Old will meet new in the forthcoming Diriyah Gate project. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Diriyah Gate Project<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-5.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Built to resemble Saudi's original building style and materials, the new district is attracting loads of luxury inns.\" class=\"wp-image-22820472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Built to resemble Saudi\u2019s original building style and materials, the new district is attracting loads of luxury inns.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Diriyah Gate Project<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-3.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"It will be a must see for visitor coming to an otherwise hodge-podge Riyadh.\" class=\"wp-image-22820474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>It will be a must see for visitor coming to an otherwise hodge-podge Riyadh.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Diriyah Gate Project<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Public plazas will lead to hotels, shops, fine-dining restauarants and even an opera house.\" class=\"wp-image-22820476\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/diriyah-gate-project-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Public plazas will lead to hotels, shops, fine-dining restauarants and even an opera house.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Diriyah Gate Project<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Headed by New York hotelier extraordinaire and Martin Scorsese doppelganger, Jerry Inzerillo, the project is a ground-up city within a city that will include dozens of hotels, tens of thousands of new apartments, a university, subways, an opera house, four Michelin-starred restaurants, untold numbers of palm trees and a vast shopping district modeled on the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es \u2014 all completed by 2026. The first phase opens this fall around the restored ruins of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, At-Turaif \u2014 the original home of the Saudi royal family and the country\u2019s first capital until it was sacked by the Ottomans in 1818.<\/p>\n<p>Baccarat, Orient Express, Raffles, Park Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, Rosewood, Four Seasons and Six Senses are just a few of the upscale Western staples opening in the new district.<\/p>\n<p>Inzerillo \u2014 known for developing the One&amp;Only brand and Atlantis Resorts, as well as opening iconic hotels like the Delano in Miami Beach \u2014 isn\u2019t the only piece of NYC to have landed in unlikely Riyadh.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1256368335.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\" The UNESCO World Heritage Site, At-Turaif was the original home of the Saudi royal family. \" class=\"wp-image-22820491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1256368335.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1256368335.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1256368335.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption> The UNESCO World Heritage Site, At-Turaif was the original home of the Saudi royal family. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The sprawling city is finally attracting hot spots like Cipriani (where the ma\u00eetre d\u2019 sports a New York accent) and two David Burke restaurants, to a forthcoming, 23-story, glass-paneled Nobu Hotel opening next year. The Four Seasons hotel in the city\u2019s iconic bottler opener-shaped Kingdom Tower has long been the best in the city, but by next year it will compete with a St. Regis, a ritzy JW Marriott, a Fairmont and Radisson\u2019s luxury Mansard brand.<\/p>\n<p>Just as many luxury hotels familiar to jetsetting Manhattanites are opening outside Riyadh.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Grand-Hyatt.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A sprawling Grand Hyatt resort will open during phase one of the ambitious Red Sea Development project.\" class=\"wp-image-22797373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Grand-Hyatt.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Grand-Hyatt.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Grand-Hyatt.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A sprawling Grand Hyatt resort will open during phase one of the ambitious Red Sea Development project.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Red Sea Development<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/St-regis.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A ritzy St. Regis will open on the Red Sea in 2023.\" class=\"wp-image-22797610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/St-regis.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/St-regis.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/St-regis.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A ritzy St. Regis will open on the Red Sea in 2023.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Red Sea Development<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Edition.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Ian Schrager is collaborating with Marriot to bring an Edition Hotel to the Red Sea.\" class=\"wp-image-22797717\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Edition.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Edition.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Edition.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Ian Schrager is collaborating with Marriot to bring an Edition Hotel to the Red Sea.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Red Sea Development<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Raffles.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Raffles will also open an eco-resort in a archipelago of more than 90 islands in the Red Sea.\" class=\"wp-image-22797473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Raffles.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Raffles.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Raffles.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Raffles will also open an eco-resort in a archipelago of more than 90 islands in the Red Sea.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Red Sea Development<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The eco-focused Red Sea project will bring 16 new hotels to a 11,000-square-mile resort archipelago in the coming years, with a new airport opening in early 2023. A slew of haute hotels will polkadot the project, including a 430-room Grand Hyatt hotel on Shaura Island (the project\u2019s hub, which will eventually include a marina and an 18-hole championship golf course), a Foster + Partners-designed, nature-focused Raffles resort, as well as a St. Regis and an EDITION resort. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Six-Senses.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A wellness-focused luxury Six Senses brand is opening in a stunning desert landscape. \" class=\"wp-image-22797582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Six-Senses.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Six-Senses.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Six-Senses.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A wellness-focused luxury Six Senses brand is opening in a stunning desert landscape. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Red Sea Development<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the desert, along the ancient incense trade route, Six Senses is opening its Southern Dunes resort in 2023. The boutique, 73-key resort is also designed by Foster + Partners. <\/p>\n<p>In the seaside city of Jeddah \u2014 where Justin Bieber performed last year and an annual Formula 1 race packs the city with celebrities like A$AP Rocky, Will.i.am and Gordon Ramsay \u2014 9,000 new luxury hotel rooms are on their way. Most notably, a new Shangri-La opened in February.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/shang-palace-5.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Shangri-La is opening a 220-room hotel in Jeddah.\" class=\"wp-image-22797525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/shang-palace-5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/shang-palace-5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/shang-palace-5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Shangri-La is opening a 220-room hotel in Jeddah. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Shangri-La<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Meanwhile, four flights a day are now running between Dubai and the historic city of Al-\u2018Ula, which will likely be the true hub of Saudi\u2019s tourism push.<\/p>\n<p>A larger scale archeological and UNESCO site many times larger than Jordan\u2019s Petra, Al-\u2018Ula shows off with dozens of ancient Nabatean tombs carved into the sandstone throughout a massive dessert canyon nearly 200 miles north of Medina. Stunningly beautiful and utterly uncommercialized, Al-\u2018Ula is being transformed into Saudi\u2019s wellness capital and the \u201cEat, Pray, Love\u201d set are already flocking in to do yoga beneath ancient sandstone monoliths. Habitas and Banyan Tree hotels are opening there this October.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"\/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"565\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/al-ula-saudi-arabia-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Ancient sandstone tombs punctuate stunning desert landsape in Al-'Ula -- currently Saudi's biggest draw.\" class=\"wp-image-22797266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/al-ula-saudi-arabia-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/al-ula-saudi-arabia-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/al-ula-saudi-arabia-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Ancient sandstone tombs punctuate stunning desert landsape in Al-\u2018Ula \u2014 currently Saudi\u2019s biggest draw.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Christopher Cameron<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Concerts with singers like Enrique Iglesias in the Maraya \u2014 the world\u2019s largest mirrored building, which seems to dis<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear into the evocative mountain landscape \u2014 and celeb-filled events like this year\u2019s Dolce\u00a0&amp;\u00a0Gabbana fashion show have made Al-\u2018Ula the first place every new visitor should see in what remains a very under-construction Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n<p>However, despite what appears to be a drive to attract a panoply of luxury inns, Saudi isn\u2019t going to be a first check-in choice for Mr. and Mrs. America for some time yet. The specter of geo-politics and a barrage of negative headlines see to that.<\/p>\n<p>But that doesn\u2019t have hospitality investors worried.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSaudi has a secret weapon when it comes to tourism,\u201d a Saudi insider who asked to remain anonymous told The Post. \u201cThere are almost 2 billion Muslims in the world and all of them have a religious obligation to visit Mecca. All the kingdom has to do is turn the tap and let the people flow.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/06\/27\/why-luxury-hotels-are-racing-to-open-saudi-arabia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Why luxury hotels are racing to open Saudi Arabia&#8221; President Biden isn\u2019t the only one visiting Saudi Arabia \u2014 he\u2019s being followed by swarms of tourists. But you\u2019ll be forgiven for not having booked the desert kingdom for your next holiday yet. The 2018 murder of Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi and a lifetime of draconian religious&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":468131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/saudi-hotels-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[130743,72017,30819,105705,80258,22512,81144,71471,73861],"class_list":["post-468130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-6-27-22","tag-concert","tag-djs","tag-luxury-development","tag-luxury-hotels","tag-restaurants","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-travel","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}