In the run-up to Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup, there are signs the Gulf monarchy is tentatively seeking to reassure LGBTQ visitors — with a queer cruise scheduled to arrive in the Red Sea city of Jeddah next year.
The ultra-conservative kingdom, home to the birthplace of Islam, has in recent years tried to soften its forbidding image through social reforms, including allowing women to drive, reintroducing cinemas and welcoming non-Muslim tourists
Under the direction of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, the power of its influential clerics has diminished and the once-feared morality police have been muzzled.
And although homosexuality remains criminalised, the authorities have softened their rhetoric in a bid to establish themselves as a global destination.
In a sign of changing times, the US LGBTQ-focused travel company VACAYA has announced an “Arabian Nights” cruise for spring 2027 from Jeddah to Egypt’s Ain Sokhna, promising its customers they will “make and live history”.
“For decades, LGBTQ+ visitors could scarcely imagine setting foot in the Kingdom,” the company said on its website, where cabins aboard the Emerald Kaia luxury super yacht go for between $9,900 and $57,000.
Yet, it added, as Saudi Arabia seeks to “reshape its international image in anticipation of hosting the 2034 World Cup, a quiet but notable shift has emerged: visitors of all identities are being welcomed, provided they honour local customs