Middle East
Saudi Liquor Store Fuels Expat Speculation About Relaxing Alcohol Ban
- Crown prince has pursued ambitious plan to draw global tourism
- State officials say there is no plan to legalize alcohol
A non-alcoholic cocktail in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Photographer: Tasneem Alsultan/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
As a foreigner living in Saudi Arabia, it generally doesn’t take too long for conversation to turn to the one topic everyone is really interested in: alcohol.
Booze has been banned in Saudi since 1952, meaning that residents in search of a drink must often jet off to nearby Dubai or Bahrain to find one legally.