Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson will invest in a Red Sea project that aims to turn 50 Saudi Arabian islands into luxury tourism destinations, the Saudi government announced on Sunday.
Branson is the first international investor to commit to the project, Saudi Arabia’s information ministry said, in what officials called “a clear sign that Saudi Arabia is opening its doors to international tourism”.
A fucking third world shithole that executes people without due process, that treats women as second-class citizens, that has a legal system based upon seventh century superstition and funds terrorism across the globe. Fuck that for a game of soldiers. I will never set foot in that vile cesspit – nor any other Islamic theocracy.
And if this insane scheme goes ahead, expect the usual news story about naïve westerners being arrested by the mutawwi for doing something that offends the sensibilities of these barbaric primitives, but which was entirely predictable and could have been avoided by not going there in the first place.
“This is an incredibly exciting time in the country’s history, and I’ve always felt that there’s nothing like getting a first-hand impression,” Branson said in a statement released by the information ministry.
If you consider public executions for going on a protest exciting, if you find walking about among people wearing bin bags exciting, if you find getting arrested and banged up for snogging on the beach exciting, sure. But I’ll avoid the first-hand experience if it’s all the same to you.
I would turn down an offer a fully inclusive free >=1 week holiday in Saudi Arabia unless it was in a gated area like those ex-pats live in where in most cases Saudi/islam laws are not imposed.
Perhaps Branson is hoping to achieve this.
Shouldn’t Branson’s priority be doing a Trump and spending his own money helping locals rebuild their islands’ homes?
But, but, but …. Islam is the Religion of Peeeeeaaace, LR. Surely you know that by now?
Oh come now – they’re soon going to be allowed to drive:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/saudi-arabia-women-drive-170926190857109.html
What’s not to like? Two million square kilometres of beach and no crowds! And a bastion of liberalism – look, they have allowed women to drive now! How much more equality can you ask for?
And with the right PR, public executions could be promoted as a special excursion to soak up the local culture.
“How quaint! Look Dave, they’ve buried that girl up to her neck in sand. Do you think they’d mind if I threw a few rocks too? You could take a picture of me to post on Instagram!”
My bucket list will never be long enough to include Saudi Arabia.
Likewise. You would have to kill me and drag my cold dead body there.
Are they starting to worry about the inevitability of the oil running out? Or maybe that with all the hysteria about climate change, the west might possibly come up with a viable alternative?