The Setup: Why I Went When Everyone Was Still Skeptical
Saudi Arabia issued more than 27 million tourist visas in 2024. Let that number sit for a second. The government set a target of 17 million visitors by 2030 and then just… exceeded it. Years early. I watched the announcement from my apartment and thought either this is the most aggressively marketed tourism pivot in modern history, or something is actually happening there worth seeing. I grabbed my notebook and booked a flight.
The visa process was the first surprise. Ninety dollars for a 90-day single-entry pass, obtained online in under 24 hours through the official Sharek platform. No embassy appointment. No waiting. No mystery. After years of jumping through hoops for various countries, this felt like someone finally read the feedback form. The entire transaction took less time than my pre-trip dental cleaning.
AlUla: The Ancient Site That Actually Justifies the Hype
AlUla stopped me cold. Not metaphorically. I stood in front of the carved facades at Hegra and genuinely could not move for twenty minutes. Hegra became Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, and unlike many World Heritage designations that feel more ceremonial than earned, this one lands. You are looking at 2,000-year-old Nabataean tombs cut directly into rose-gold sandstone cliffs. The government has invested $15 billion in developing the region, and the infrastructure is there without feeling sterile.
What surprised me most: AlUla recorded over 300,000 visitors in 2024, yet it never felt crowded. I arrived in January 2026 at what should have been peak season and found myself alone at multiple sites for hours at a time. The government clearly planned for scale, spreading facilities across the valley instead of concentrating everything in a tourist ghetto. The museums are excellent. The hiking trails are maintained. The local guide I hired actually knew the history instead of reciting Wikipedia.
Here is what sucked: food options in town are limited if you have dietary restrictions or strong opinions about flavor. I ate at four restaurants, and three served variations on the same safe, beige formula. The one exception was a small spot run by a Syrian family that served proper food, but it is easy to miss. Street signage is minimal. Download offline maps before you arrive. The heat in summer will kill you; January is perfect. August is a terrible idea.
Sindalah Island: The Luxury Project That Actually Opened
NEOM’s Sindalah Island opened its first phase to visitors in late 2025, and yes, I was cynical. Mega-projects in the Gulf have a reputation for delays, cost overruns, and rendering images that bear no resemblance to actual completion. Sindalah felt different, though not uniformly finished. The marina operates. The dive facilities are excellent. The yacht harbor is functional. But if you squint at the surrounding development zones, you can see exactly where construction stalled.
The honest version: Sindalah works as a luxury resort destination right now, today, without the asterisks. I spent three days diving the Red Sea and moored in the marina. The water is warm, the reefs are healthy, and the underwater visibility beats most Caribbean options I’ve tried. The accommodations are expensive but deliver on their promises. Restaurants are overseen by recognized chefs. The infrastructure you pay for exists and functions.
What did not work: expect limited options if you want to venture beyond the island. Sindalah is genuinely isolated, which is the point, but it also means you cannot decide on day two that you want to explore the surrounding coastline. The island is not quite the glittering vision from the 2023 announcements, but that is partly because some areas remain under construction. It felt less like a finished luxury destination and more like a very expensive beta test. Worth knowing that going in.
The Money Question: What This Actually Costs
A 90-day tourist visa runs approximately $130 USD for Western passport holders and is valid for three months. Flights from US gateways typically range from $600 to $1,200 depending on routing and season. AlUla is accessible, with a night in a good mid-range hotel running $80 to $150. Food is cheap if you eat where locals eat. Museum entry fees are reasonable.
Sindalah is a different category entirely. Three nights at the resort started at $3,500 and climbed from there. Diving packages, meals, and activities are all extra. This is not a budget destination, and the island does not pretend otherwise. But if you are considering a high-end resort experience, it offers something genuinely different from the Maldives or Seychelles formula.
The Bigger Picture: Is Saudi Arabia Actually the World’s Fastest-Growing Destination?
Yes, and the numbers are not marketing fluff. International arrivals grew 73 percent compared to 2019 baseline figures, according to the UNWTO’s 2025 Barometer. Saudi Arabia ranked as the world’s fastest-growing tourist destination. That growth is real, visible on the ground, and spread across multiple sites instead of concentrated in one resort zone.
For trip planning, check the Saudi Tourism Authority official visa and destination information before booking. It is more reliable than random travel sites. If you are interested in archaeology, the UNESCO Hegra World Heritage Site listing provides solid context on what makes the site historically significant. Neither link is flashy, but both will save you time and prevent wrong turns.
I came home with a notebook full of bus schedules, restaurant names, and honest observations. AlUla deserves the attention. Sindalah is worth experiencing if budget allows, though it is not essential to your Saudi Arabia story. The visa process is straightforward. The growth numbers are earned, not invented. This is a destination that responded to criticism by building infrastructure instead of just building marketing budgets. That is rare enough to write down.
Have you visited Saudi Arabia or considered it? What questions would actually help you decide whether to go? Let me know.