Inside Saudi Arabian ‘darkish’ journey paradise because it tightens relationships with Trump and welcomes booze
Donald Trump announced he and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had signed a new Strategic Defense Agreement as his family business looks to expand in the country
Donald Trump appears to be edging closer to making Saudi Arabia a holiday paradise after the Middle East nation slightly eased its laws around the sale of alcohol.
Non-Muslims holding a special residency status – known as Premium Residency – are now said to be allowed to buy booze from a Riyadh store previously reserved for foreign diplomats.
The government has made no announcement and those who went to the shop in the city’s Diplomatic Quarter only heard about the change through word of mouth, sources told US news outlet Semafor.
It comes after US President Donald Trump gushed over the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during a White House visit, which was also attended by Cristiano Ronaldo.
And it is the latest step by the Saudi government to formalize alcohol sales and consumption as the kingdom pursues a plan to make tourism a key pillar of its economic diversification as it aims to attract 150 million tourists a year by 2030.
The Kingdom is investing heavily in developing hotels and entertainment attractions and a Trump tower is planned for Jeddah, promising an an unmatched lifestyle ‘from refined residences to world-class amenities and personalized service’.
And it is hoping to attract more western tourists from by simplifying the travel process, including the introduction of an e-visa system and looking to increase direct flights from more UK airports, such as Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
It is also trying to emphasise its “rich cultural and natural” heritage as major attractions for UK visitors, who want something other than a luxurious escape, Travel and tour world reports.
Booze has been banned in Saudi Arabia since 1952 when Prince Mishari shot dead the British Vice-Consul to the country in a drunken rage. King Ibn Saud issued a totalitarian edict forbidding the importation of all intoxicating liquors into Saudi Arabia.
But the 72-year total ban was lifted in January 2024 when the first alcohol store opened in the capital Riyadh, initially only serving exclusively non-Muslim diplomats who have to register via a mobile app and get a clearance code from the foreign ministry.
Semafor’s Saudi Bureafu Chief Matthew Martin said: “By extending purchasing rights to a narrow group of non-Muslim expatriates, the government can paint itself as more hospitable to the foreign talent it increasingly needs for its economic transformation, while also keeping a lid on sales.”
The Kingdom’s PR offensive comes after photos emerged of vicious beatings given to female prisoners in a secret prison where families send ‘disobedient’ women and girls to be punished.
Women seen in a clip were said to be staging a peaceful sit-in protest over poor living conditions at their so-called ‘care home’ in Khamis Mushair, in Asir Province.
Security and police officers at the ‘Social Education Home for Girls’ are seen rushing in and hitting the woman, some as they lay helpless on the ground.
The shocking footage caused outrage when it first circulated in 2022, but despite recent reforms, many women remain held in these de facto prisons, unable to leave until a male guardian permits them, critics claims.
Dr Maryam Aldossari, a Saudi academic at Royal Holloway, University of London, told MailOnline: “‘It still exists. We still know people who are there and God knows when they will leave.
“They completely cut them [off]. There are cameras everywhere. If you misbehave you must go to these small individual rooms, you are separated. Anything can be considered as a violation of women’s rights.”
“‘What we do hear – it’s such a dark time in Saudi Arabia. This is becoming a police state. People are scared.”
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