My Top 5 Reasons to Visit Saudi Arabia

Photo Credit: Riyadh Airports

Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)  is a country in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula. With a land area of approximately 2,150,000 km²(830,000 sq mi), Saudi Arabia is geographically the largest sovereign state in the Middle East, the second-largest in the Arab world (after Algeria), the fifth-largest in Asia, and the 12th-largest in the world. Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast and Yemen to the south; it is separated from Israel and Egypt by the Gulf of Aqaba. It is the only nation with both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast, and most of its terrain consists of arid desert, lowland and mountains. As of October 2018, the Saudi economy was the largest in the Middle East and the 18th largest in the world. Saudi Arabia also enjoys one of the world’s youngest populations; 50% of its 33.4 million people are under 25 years old. (Source: Wikipedia)

 I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel to Saudi Arabia twice. Both times I have been on work trips supporting daa International and Riyadh Airports. From the first moment I arrived in Saudi Arabia I knew I was going to enjoy my time there, little did I know how much.

Below are a few of my memories and my Top 5 reasons to visit Saudi Arabia,

The People

Saudi Arabian people remind me of my favourite word – Amazing!

On my most recent trip to Riyadh I spent 2 weeks with Riyadh Airports Future Leaders. A group of 12 intelligent, kind and visionary Saudi Arabians, these young people made me feel like Riyadh was my home away from home.

Over the two weeks I shared principles of Lean Strategy/Culture/Leadership, Project Management and Personal Strategy with the Future Leaders and in turn they shared insights into their lives, their culture, their hopes for the future, the Saudi 2030 Vision and the positive changes they have seen in Saudi Arabia in recent times. Together we discussed and laughed about how similar our cultures are and how much we have in common. Our cultures are are both friendly, warm, inviting, caring, we share the same sense of humour and we also all seemed to share a passion for food! 

The overarching characteristic I have found in all Saudi Arabians has been kindness. Everyone you meet has a smile and a kind word to say and there is always an offer of something: be it a blessing, a kind gesture and more often than not food of some sort ranging from Arabic coffee with dates to Dunkin Donuts! 

A memorable example of this kindness was during my first visit to Riyadh when my friends Debbie, Maurice and I visited the old part of Riyadh City to do some shopping. We were taking photos when a father and his 2 daughters approached us offering Arabic coffee, dates and bars of chocolate. No sooner had we drank one cup of coffee and eaten one bar of chocolate they filled up our cups and brought us more chocolate. They sat with us and shared photos and stories of their lives. They were in no rush and it was obvious how happy they were to make us feel as welcome as possible in their beautiful country. 

Another wonderful memory and example of kindness was during my most recent visit. The wonderful group of Future Leaders that I was teaching surprised me on my birthday with a gorgeous birthday card, flowers, the most delicious cheesecake and ‘Happy Birthday’ sung in English and Arabic. 

Both experiences remind me that kindness is found in the simplest of places – a smile, a shared cup of coffee/bar of chocolate/cake, a conversation, sharing photos and stories of our lives, a shared birthday celebration, an acceptance of differences and a celebration of similarities. 

Our Saudi Arabian friends, Maurice and I

Our Saudi Arabian friends, Maurice and Debbie

Our Saudi Arabian friends

My beautiful birthday cake, card and flowers  – Shukran Future Leaders

My friends and colleagues, Debbie and Riyadh Airports Future Leaders

The Food

As mentioned above, there is always an offer of food in Saudi Arabia. It is a way of socialising and I have been told to refuse food ( like I would ever!) is not the done thing! Before you enter Saudi Arabia, Etihad Airlines serve Arabic coffee and dates which is a taste of things to come.

There is no shortage of places to eat in Riyadh from local cuisine to Lebanese, Chinese, Italian and many more.

Every restaurant I have eaten in has been not just a way of satisfying hunger but an actual experience. Some of the restaurants we visited were like art exhibitions. Such thought and creativity has gone into the decor ensuring the dining experience is about so much more than the delicious food.  

Advice when dining in Saudi Arabia – try everything, you are in for a real treat!

Local cuisine – yum!

A mixture of local cuisine – the camera does not do the taste justice!

Sweet treats

The eloquent decor at Bistro Chino Chinese Restaurant

The eloquent decor at Bistro Chino Chinese Restaurant

Arabic coffee and dates – the perfect start to a trip to Saudi Arabia

A different type of Arabic coffee #Starbucks

 

The Weather

I love hot weather, it lifts my spirits and my mood, it gives colour to my pale Irish skin and makes being outdoors so much more enjoyable. 

As I write this blog post the evenings are getting longer and the weather is getting brighter although it is still quiet cold here in Ireland. As much as I love living in Ireland, our Winters are more than a little dreary and our Summers (when we get them) never seem to reach the intense heat felt abroad.We all know the feeling of waking up to the sun beating in the window, knowing the day is going to be bright and warm, imagine if every day were like that?

Saudi Arabia has a desert climate meaning it is hot and sunny all year round with very little rain. My first trip to Saudi Arabia was during their Summer when the hottest temperature I experienced was 42C and my second trip was during their Winter when the temperature floated around the mid 20s – some days were dull but the majority were sunny with clear blue skies. For me, both temperatures were bliss! 

My friends in Riyadh often spoke about the challenges of living in a consistently hot/desert climate and how much they would love a break from the intense heat. 

We don’t have the power to bring more sun/less rain to Ireland or more rain/less sun to Saudi Arabia but we do have the power to change our thoughts towards our climates. Like everything in life, maybe we could learn to accept and love the climate we live in and the richness it affords us while at the same time being grateful for and making the most of time spent abroad in sunnier/dryer/colder/wetter climates!

Blue sky weather

Blue sky weather

 

The Vision

Saudi Arabia has a very impressive and inspiring Vision referred to as Saudi 2030.

During my 2 weeks with Riyadh Airports Future Leaders, we spoke a lot about the importance of having a vision. Whether it is a personal vision, a vision for your business/company or a vision for your country, a vision is the critical foundation for positive change and success. 

A vision needs to be big, grand, almost larger than you think is achievable. A vision needs to be inspirational enough to drive you, your business/company or your country to a higher level of success than you are currently at or even think possible.  

Saudi 2030  is a truly inspirational vision and as you read it the passion for all Saudi Arabia currently is and the confidence for the immense positive change envisioned to bring Saudi Arabia to all it can be is evident in every sentence.

In all areas of life and business, people are at the heart of the success of any vision. The Crown Prince refers to the people of Saudi Arabia many times and in particular the young people who are the future of Saudi Arabia.    

See extracts from the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 below, 

”Our country is rich in its natural resources. We are not dependent solely on oil for our energy needs. Gold, phosphate, uranium, and many other valuable minerals are found beneath our lands. But our real wealth lies in the ambition of our people and the potential of our younger generation.  They are our nation’s pride and the architects of our future. Our people will amaze the world again. 
Our ambition is for the long term. It goes beyond replenishing sources of income that have weakened or preserving what we have already achieved. We are determined to build a thriving country in which all citizens can fulfill their dreams, hopes and ambitions. Therefore, we will not rest until our nation is a leader in providing opportunities for all through education and training, and high-quality services such as employment initiatives, health, housing, and entertainment.

Together we will continue building a better country, fulfilling our dream of prosperity and unlocking the talent, potential, and dedication of our young men and women. 

We have all the means to achieve our dreams and ambitions. There are no excuses for us to stand still or move backwards. 
Our Vision is a strong, thriving, and stable Saudi Arabia that provides opportunity for all.”

On opening up Saudi Arabia to the rest of the world, the vision continues

”Our Vision is a tolerant country with Islam as its constitution and moderation as its method. We will welcome qualified individuals from all over the world and will respect those who have come to join our journey and our success.
We intend to provide better opportunities for partnerships with the private sector through the three pillars: our position as the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, our leading investment capabilities, and our strategic geographical position. We will improve the business environment, so that our economy grows and flourishes, driving healthier employment opportunities for citizens and long-term prosperity for all. This promise is built on cooperation and on mutual responsibility.”   

I am honoured to have had the opportunity to work with Riyadh Airports who are at the heart of third pillar of the Saudi 2030 Vision.

”The third pillar is transforming our unique strategic location into a global hub connecting three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa. Our geographic position between key global waterways, makes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia an epicenter of trade and the gateway to the world.”

The Ever Changing Landscape

Riyadh is a city built in the middle of a desert which makes the landscape fascinating, dramatic and beautiful in its own unique way. Some days the sky is so full of sand that it looks cloudy. On my first trip to Riyadh, I was lucky to witness and spend time in the desert during a sandstorm11

Saudi Arabia is a country witnessing immense change at a very fast pace. This change is evident in the infrastructure and conversations all around Riyadh. I am honoured to have had a chance to witness this change. Through Saudi 2030 there is much planned for Riyadh which will continue to change it’s physical and cultural landscape. Riyadh has big plans for their outdoors in terms of parks etc and for their transport system in terms of metros. Saudi Arabia and in particular Riyadh is a very exciting place to be during this growth.

Desert Highway

View in a sandstorm

View in a sandstorm

Debbie and I – Sandstorm ready!

A very big thank you to my friend and colleague Debbie Kearns who made my 2 trips to Riyadh possible and for looking after me so well. Thanks also to all of my colleagues in daa International and Terminal 5 for your support and friendship especially Mr Maurice. To all the wonderful people I met on hikes to the desert, road trips and shopping trips, thank you for welcoming me to your world. 

Thanks to Riyadh Airports Operational Excellence team and the Future Leaders for making me feel so welcome, for teaching me Arabic and for making my birthday so special. I am immensely grateful to call you all my friends. 

I look forward to the day when Saudi Arabia opens to the world to share it’s beauty, kindness and fascinating culture.

Thanks for reading,

Safe travels,

Siobhain

x x x

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