Tourist? and other Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Tourist Trap Tips

There's hardly a tourist trap in Saudi Arabia. This is because there's hardly any tourist in there.

Not that the country would not have anything to offer. Its Red Sea beaches, mild winter climate, red sand dunes and camel souqs would be a sure attraction for tourists of all sorts.

The problem is that getting a tourist visa, though technically feasible, is a next-to-impossible achievement. In 2004 the number of tourists that the whole of Saudi Arabia received was in the order of a few thousand. Compare this to 5 million yearly visits to Rome and go figure.

The good side of this is that you are extremely unlikely to be ripped off, or treated badly or unfairly, by anyone. So don't hesitate to jump on that taxi or dine on the 77th floor of that skyscraper, you're almost sure you'll get a fair treatment and pay a fair price.

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