Posted on 10/20/2022 12:23:47 AM PDT by libh8er
Saudi Arabia is considering introducing alcohol sales in duty free areas of selected airports, Arabian Business understands. airports, Arabian Business understands.
The plans would see limited sales of alcohol, initially for international transit passengers, in specific airports. It is believed that strict requirements would have to be met, and the sales only available to passengers travelling on designated routes.
No final decision has been made, but a consultation process is underway with key stakeholders, sources said.
The sale or consumption of alcohol is currently banned in the kingdom.
Last month the Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia is planning to allow a beach resort in its megaproject Neom to serve alcohol.
Scheduled to open as soon as next year, the beach resort on Red Sea’s Sindalah island is expected to offer a premium wine bar, a separate cocktail bar, and a bar for “champagne and desserts,” WSJ reported, citing documents dated January.
It’s a trap!
Saudi Arabia loses tourists to Dubai, I’m certain, because Dubai is much more tolerant and allows drinking in hotel bars and nightclubs.
The KSA government is bad enough but too many zealots outside of gov’t who will take their interpretation of Islamic law into their own hands. Not worth the trouble of being around where alcohol is served much less the chance of being caught in possession of it, even if accidental.
I went to Dubai this summer. Phenomenal place and I can’t wait to return. And YES my family and I are orthodox Jews — we walked around with our yarmulkes, sidelocks and all. Not a hint of anti-Semitism. I’d be much more scared in much of Europe.
The Saudi’s are planning on building their own version of Dubai somewhere on the red sea side — not far from the Israel/Jordan border.
Any bar would be a target for hardcore mohommedan fruitcakes. The Bali bombers were upset about westerners boozing. They get upset about a bit of plonk, but get off on seeing humans blown to pieces. Talk about straining out gnats and swallowing camels. Woe unto the ....
My cousin was a foreign service officer for over 30 years. He was in S.A in the late ‘90s (Under Station Chief Brennan no less. Said he never would have expected Brennan would rise so high and that he was the typical bureaucratic functionary, nothing about him that indicated he’d rise to become head of CIA.)
My cousin said that the many hundreds of “connected” Saudis, to the Royal family in some way, security folks and other diplomatic underlings could and would easily procure alcohol and, behind closed doors and walls, imbibe to their hearts content.
Since the Abraham Accords (Thanks, President Trump!) Dubai has become a very popular and welcoming place for Jews to vacation.
I’ve been to to Dubai many times. It is truly phenomenal. The kind of city that America used to build, before we allowed our once world-class cities to decay into cesspools of crime and dystopia.
Anyone can build a glitzy city, if slave labor is easily available to exploit. Dubai is a glittering shithole, built by oil sheiks to stroke their own egos, nothing else.
My most enduring impression of Dubai was watching feral camels eating garbage out of a dumpster. I wouldn’t piss on Dubai if it was on fire.
I flew out of Riyadh on the first day of Ramadan when I came home from Desert Storm. I flew Lufthansa to Frankfurt to visit my baby sister and her Rotor Head hubby on the way home. The flight was 99% Arabs, thawbs in almost every seat. The plane was barely off the ground before everyone was clamoring for a drink.
Arabs have a saying: “If your neighbor doesn’t see what you do neither does Allah”. Kinda like sandy Southern Baptists.
My unit in Saudi during Desert Storm had been there since 1975. We had a “Diplomatic CONNEX” flown in every month with alcohol.
considering the sale of alcohol in the kingdom is punishable by BEHEADING ... this is a big deal
The Saudis are such hypocrites. I’ve worked in the Kingdom twice. When you fly out the airplane is usually loaded with Saudis dressed in traditional garb. As soon as it’s wheels up off come the Hijabs and other garb, out comes the western attire and the alcohol flows freely. Seen it many times. What’s worse, when I was working over there Bahrain was where everyone went to party. You’d see the same “morals police” from Saudi that would execute you for possessing an empty Budweiser can bellied up to the bar, drinking like there is no tomorrow.
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