Authorities in Saudi Arabia have made a massive U-turn as regards their position on LGBTQ.
In its drive to attract tourists, the website of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) seems to have had its Q&A section updated to state that gay visitors are welcome in the kingdom.
“Everyone is welcome to visit Saudi Arabia and visitors are not asked to disclose such personal details,” is the website’s response to the question on its FAQ page: “Are LGBT visitors welcome to visit Saudi Arabia?”
It is not known exactly when the website was updated. A spokesperson for the STA said the policy had previously been in place, but an archived version of the website on March 14, 2023 and before did not have the question and answer on the page, CNN reports.
Same-sex sexual activity is an offence in Saudi Arabia, according to Human Rights Watch.
According to the Human Dignity Trust, which campaigns for the rights of LGBT people around the world, trans people can also face prosecution in Saudi, with “substantial evidence of the law being enforced” and “consistent reports of discrimination and violence” against LGBTQ people.
LGBTQ+ travellers are a lucrative market, according to Darren Burn, CEO of Out Of Office, a luxury travel planning service for the community, and of Travel Gay, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ travel platform.
“Research shows they spend more money in a destination than heterosexual couples, and tend to travel more times a year,” he told CNN.
“It’s a very interesting and lucrative demographic, and countries are plowing major revenue into [attracting] it.”
One gay traveller who visited Saudi Arabia on a work trip in October 2022 – before the website was updated – told CNN that he felt “in the closet” during his stay.
The UK traveller – who did not want to be named – spent time in AlUla, one of Saudi’s tourism-focused destinations.
“It was OK for a week or so but after that I suddenly realized it gone back to living a life in the closet and not being my true self. More out of fear of what might happen – the unknown – rather than anything specific that happened,” he said.
“I was sent an email [by the company I was working for] with what I should do. They basically told me to delete anything even remotely LGBTQI related from my phone – all photos, apps, newspapers and magazines. My Egyptian friend suggested I just get a new clean phone.
“I told close colleagues, but I wasn’t [generally] talking about being gay, or my past experience. I kept it to myself, and suddenly realized that I wasn’t able to talk about what I would normally talk about, and that’s not how I want to live. In practice everyone was very relaxed, but the law’s the law.”
What it’s like to visit Saudi Arabia now
However, he added that one “revelation” from his trip was “how friendly and welcoming the Saudi people were.
“They’re really open to changing attitudes, but they haven’t really [been in contact] with the Western world in their lifetimes. Unless you meet people [from other cultures] and talk about differences there’s no way of learning from them.
“I found that what the law and the authorities say is very different to how the locals interact with you.
“If you were to go there and be overtly gay I’d be quite concerned – I wouldn’t feel comfortable going there with a partner – but it’s a country that’s changing very quickly.” (SaharaReporters)
