The British Financial Times (FT) quoted a source as saying that Saudi authorities are preparing to open additional liquor stores in two cities, Jeddah and Daran, following the capital Riyadh. The move comes after the first liquor store opened for non-Muslim diplomatic mission employees in the Riyadh diplomatic zone last year.
The move is a key part of “Vision 2030,” in which Saudi authorities, which have banned alcohol sales for decades, are trying to diversify the economy and break away from oil dependence under the leadership of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the FT said. “Vision 2030” aims to attract 150 million tourists a year by 2030. To this end, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund (PIF) has invested billions of dollars in giant projects in the tourism sector, including the creation of an entertainment district in the west of Riyadh and the development of a number of luxury island resorts on the Red Sea. Many hotels and restaurants developed in recent years also have bar facilities, but currently only offer non-alcoholic cocktails.
A new liquor store is expected to open next year, but no specific timing has been set. Especially in Daran, which has a large number of foreign residents in the oil industry, the store will reportedly be located inside a residential camp owned by state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco. The location of the Jeddah store has yet to be determined.
Last year’s opening of the Riyadh store was a centralized measure of how alcohol was previously supplied through diplomatic ships. Recently, some of the “premium residency” holders, which are granted to high-income earners and high-skilled professionals, have also begun to be allowed to purchase alcohol. The PR program, introduced in 2019, was issued to more than 8,000 people last year. It is not known how many of them are non-Muslims eligible to purchase alcohol.
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
