Saudi Arabia Now Welcoming LGBTQ Visitors

Saudi Arabia is now opening its doors to LGBTQ visitors.

The Q&A section of the Saudi Tourism Authority’s (STA) website appears to have been modified to indicate that gay travelers are accepted in the country. The specific date of the update is unclear, although an STA representative claimed that this policy had already been in effect. However, the Q&A section was not present on the website’s archived version before March 14, 2023.

The FAQ page of the tourism website asked, “Are LGBT visitors welcome to visit Saudi Arabia?” The response given was, “Everyone is welcome to visit Saudi Arabia and visitors are not required to reveal such personal information.”

Nevertheless, Human Rights Watch reported that engaging in same-sex sexual activity is considered a crime in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the Human Dignity Trust, which advocates for the rights of LGBTQ individuals globally, revealed that transgender individuals in Saudi Arabia might also be subject to legal action, with “ample evidence of the law being implemented” and “frequent accounts of prejudice and brutality” against the LGBTQ community.

According to human rights researcher Nora Noralla, Saudi Arabia is imitating Qatar and Dubai’s attempts to appeal to LGBTQ+ tourists. However, she cautioned that the conditions may not align with the preferences of the visitors.

“In Dubai there are a lot of gay influencers. And as long as you understand the context of the area you’re in and respect the traditional culture and not show your queerness in any way, you’re OK,” she said. “That requires you to be cis-passing. If you show up and you’re non-binary, or male with makeup on, or obviously trans, and come to the region you’ll be denied entrance. I wouldn’t say LGBT people are welcome. They say same-sex couples are welcome, and that’s entirely different.”