PHOTOS: Local tourists vacation in Rijal Almaa, Saudi’s culturally, historically rich village

When the pandemic hobbled Saudi Arabia’s plans to become a global tourism hub just months after opening its borders for the first time, officials looked for the bright side. There won’t be any foreign vacationers sunning on the kingdom’s beaches this summer. But there’s a new market to woo: Saudis trapped at home. Along with countries around the world that are trying to recoup some of their tourism losses through domestic travel, the government leaned into the disruption, stoking patriotic sentiment with calls for a “Saudi summer.” Saudi locals flocked to the village of Rijal Almaa, which became a tourism hub in 2007 after winning the Prince Sultan bin Salman Award for Urban Heritage. The village has a lot of importance on account of its hospitable residents with their rich culture, and also the many historical, cultural, heritage and natural factors that make the village special.

Updated on: Jul 23, 2020 5:40 PM IST

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Tourists watch Saudi men perform a traditional folk dance at the cultural village of Rijal Almaa in the outskirts of Abha, Saudi Arabia July 17, 2020. (REUTERS)

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Tourists visit the cultural village of Rijal Almaa in the outskirts of Abha, Saudi Arabia July 17, 2020. (REUTERS)

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Tourists watch Saudi men perform a traditional folk dance at the cultural village of Rijal Almaa in the outskirts of Abha, Saudi Arabia July 17, 2020. (REUTERS)

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A general view shows tourists at the cultural village of Rijal Almaa in the outskirts of Abha, Saudi Arabia July 17, 2020. (REUTERS)

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Saudi men perform a traditional folk dance at the cultural village of Rijal Almaa in the outskirts of Abha, Saudi Arabia July 17, 2020. (REUTERS)

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Tourists visit the cultural village of Rijal Almaa in the outskirts of Abha, Saudi Arabia July 17, 2020. (REUTERS)

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Saudi men perform a traditional folk dance at the cultural village of Rijal Almaa in the outskirts of Abha, Saudi Arabia July 17, 2020. (REUTERS)