You can now, not only travel to Saudi Arabia but stay together with your significant other in a hotel room. Until recently, the country was closed off to foreign visitors, except for pilgrims, businesspeople and expatriate workers, while unrelated men and women, foreigners included, could not appear together in public.
Now Saudi Arabian authorities announced that foreign visitors would be able to share a hotel room without proving that they are related. Authorities also have relaxed laws for Saudi citizens. From now on, Saudi Arabian women can rent a room by themselves. The move is aimed at allowing unaccompanied women to travel more easily.
"All Saudi nationals are asked to show family ID or proof of relationship on checking into hotels. This is not required for foreign tourists. All women, including Saudis, can book and stay in hotels alone, providing ID on check-in", the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage said in a statement.
Two years ago, movie theatres were banned in Saudi Arabia, and women were not allowed to drive cars. This changed when Mohammed bin Salman was named the Crown Prince. He came up with the audacious socio-economic agenda "Vision 2030" that aims to make Saudi Arabia more appealing to the rest of the world.
