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Mecca: Saudi Arabia has announced plans to use Islam as a key tourist pull.
As the birthplace of Islam and home to some of its holiest shrines in the cities of Mecca and Medina, Saudi hopes to use its religious heritage to attract pilgrims and tourists without compromising its way of life.
Spokesman for the Supreme Commission of Tourism (SCT), Majid Al Shiddi, said: "We are shooting for high-end individuals, there won't be any mass tourism here. We target people who like Saudi Arabia for what it is, people who will like the experience and hopefully come back again and again."
"We have a lot to offer non-Muslim tourists. Scuba-diving, a diversified landscape, the hospitality and historic sites. There are more than 6,300 heritage sites," he added.
The statements follows recent reports that disaffected youths in the country were bored by the restrictions of their personal freedom.
One of Saudi Arabia's bloggers said last week that the "model Islamic state" offers little choices for young people who are struggling with the kingdom's "boring" gender segregation policies in the entertainment sector.
"Single guys are not allowed to enter the shopping malls, that's just for families or women. For young people it's just frustrating. What do we do? Maybe we go to the coffee shop. You just get bored," said Ahmed Al Omran, also known as Saudi Jeans of saudijeans.blogspot.com.
Saudi Arabia's strict gender segregation means there are no cinemas, women are not allowed to drive, and single men are often banned from shopping malls. Coffee shops are men-only zones.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Mecca is enjoying a construction boom with the development of exclusive hotels, apartments and shopping malls around the Grand Mosque.
The kingdom has also allowed tourist visas to foreigners for the first time this year. Officials said alcohol will remain banned and women will have to cover from head to foot. The holy cities of Mecca and Medina will be for Muslim visitors only.
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