Saudi has quietly expanded access to alcohol, allowing select non-Muslim holders of premium residency to buy from a Riyadh shop previously limited to diplomats.
Saudi Arabia has begun widening access to alcohol, allowing non-Muslim holders of special residency permits to buy alcoholic beverages from a shop in Riyadh that was previously restricted to foreign diplomats, according to a report by the US outlet Semafor.
In recent days, premium residency holders were able to purchase alcohol from the outlet in the diplomatic quarter, visitors told Semafor. The government has not announced the change publicly, and customers reported learning of it informally.
The move marks the latest step by authorities to formalise the sale and consumption of alcohol as the kingdom seeks to turn tourism into a pillar of its economic diversification plans.
Saudi Arabia aims to attract 150 million tourists annually by 2030 and is investing heavily in hotels and entertainment zones. Despite these efforts, the country still struggles to compete with neighbouring Gulf states in drawing visitors.
The liquor store opened in Riyadh last year for exclusive use by foreign diplomats. It centralised the alcohol supply in a kingdom where diplomats previously relied on shipments for personal stock.
Saudi Arabia launched the premium residency programme in 2019 to attract high-income foreign workers and investors. Eligibility has since been expanded, and the scheme is now open to expatriates earning more than 80,000 riyals (21,000 dollars) per month or working in designated professions.
According to Semafor, Saudi Arabia is “moving steadily to broaden access to alcohol”, trying to balance a clear push to shed its historically strict image with the need to uphold Islamic prohibitions on alcohol and its role as custodian of Islam’s two holiest sites.
For decades, many expatriates without diplomatic links have brewed beer, wine or spirits at home, while enforcement has generally been lax as long as home-brewed alcohol was not sold or used at large parties.
Alcohol is also reportedly served in the homes of prominent Saudi families, officials and bankers, as previously noted by the New York Times.
Rumours of wider easing of alcohol restrictions have circulated for around five years. Many hotels and restaurants are already fitted with bars serving non-alcoholic cocktails and alcohol-free beer.
Semafor noted that by extending purchase rights to a small group of non-Muslim expatriates, the government can present itself as more welcoming to the foreign talent it increasingly relies on for economic transformation, while still maintaining tight control over alcohol sales.
The mid-2010s marked a period of sweeping social change in Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 programme, which lifted bans on cinema, women driving and other long-standing restrictions.
As part of this shift, the kingdom began promoting leisure tourism alongside religious visits, with large public events and music concerts becoming increasingly common.
