The first legal alcohol store for expats opens in the heart of Riyadh: limited access, very high prices and possible direction from the Saudi government
We know that alcohol and Islam are two parallel lines – which by definition never meet. Nevertheless, Alcohol has been available in international hotels in the United Arab Emirates for some time. Not in Saudi Arabia, a nation that has opened up a lot to the West in recent years but has decided to maintain some limits, above all the veto on alcohol (officially introduced in the 1950s). Therefore, yes to tourist visas for foreigners, developing its own accommodation facilities and offering to host a large number of international events of any kind, primarily sporting events. However, no to alcohol, which remains banned on board the company’s aircraft Saudia Airlineseven if you travel in First or Business Class. At least until today, because things in Saudi Arabia, from this point of view, could change suddenly. Let’s see how.
A new cultural opening
Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly one of the most modern Islamic countries and close to the Western world. Women drive cars (which would have been unthinkable just twenty years ago). Younger girls can go around with their heads uncovered, at least in big cities like Jeddah and Riad (the most open ones). The New York Times reported that alcohol may also have been definitively cleared through customs in Riyadh, with the opening of the first shop that sells alcoholic drinks in a non-clandestine way.
Shops where wine, beer and spirits are drunk and consumed have always existed in Arab countries, even in those where the observance of religious norms must be absolutely respected. This, however, is the first officially non-illegal store in Saudi Arabia.
Who can access the “luxury wine shop”
The rule is this. Foreigners, non-Muslims, rich and in possession of a “premium” residence permit in Riyadh, they can buy alcohol at an anonymous shop located in the diplomatic district of the capital. The store sign is lapidary: «Tax-free products for diplomats only». In any case, such a luxury wine shop represents a fundamental “survival tool” for the thousands of Westerners who live and work in Saudi Arabia for extended periods of time. One of the most renowned drinks is the so-called DIY winea moderately alcoholic and sweet concoction made from grape juice and yeast with which expats console themselves on sad, sober Arab evenings.
It looks like a scene from a movie: luxurious SUVs await their turn to access the store’s parking lot. An employee checks that those in the cars are part of that very reserved club of foreigners, non-Muslims, rich and in possession of a “premium” residence permit. The New York Times he talks about crazy prices (which would confirm the hyper-exclusive circle that can access alcohol). A standard bottle of white wine sells for $85, “five times the price you would find it for in the United States.”
Who’s behind the liquor store
It’s not entirely clear who the owner of the store is, but some details on its functioning suggest the involvement of the government. For example, customers told the correspondent about the New York Times the ability to purchase a monthly quota of alcohol tied to their government-issued identification number. Additionally, the smartphone application that diplomats use to access the store was created by the Tax and Customs Authority. In short, a series of clues that all lead to the Arab government.
The reason is understandable: the sale of alcohol to foreigners at such high prices constitutes an additional source of income for Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates were the first to realize this, and the prince’s government Mohamed Bin Salman uses this stratagem to make theluxury tourism industry on the Red Sea and in the Saudi desert. A tourist or a Western worker who stays in Riyadh and pays about a thousand dollars a night for a room, expects at least to have a little pleasure and comfort in the warm (and still expensive) embrace of a glass of wine, and not in a cold and neutral can of Sprite.
