Saudi Arabia has opened its first liquor store in 70 years in an attempt to address what officials called the "illicit trade of alcohol" by making the shop available for diplomats.
The store will be located in Riyadh and will offer liquor to a select band of non-Muslim expats, which would be limited to diplomatic staff. The latter has been known for years to import booze in sealed official packages known as diplomatic pouches.
The prohibition of alcohol in the region has been law since 1952 and came after one of King Abdulaziz's sons drunkenly shot dead a British diplomat. The new alcohol shop will be
located in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter west of the city center.
A source familiar with the plans to open the new liquor store was expected to be open in a few weeks but it will have certain limitations. These include envoys needing to register beforehand and receive clearance from the government, as per BBC.
Second, anyone under 21 years old will not be allowed inside the store and it would also require "proper attire" at all times. Third, drinkers will not be able to send a proxy to purchase liquor from the store, such as their driver.
The last limitation is that there will be monthly restrictions that officials will enforce to prevent the number of products that eligible individuals will be able to purchase. However, a document that was acquired by the AFP said that these restrictions will not be particularly stringent.
Patrons will be limited to 240 "points'' of alcohol per month, with one liter of spirits being worth six points, one liter of wine being worth three points, and one liter of beer being worth one point. Furthermore, there have been no suggestions that the clientele that the liquor store will serve will be widened to "ordinary" foreigners in the kingdom without diplomatic privileges.
The decision to open a liquor store, the first in the last seven decades, marks a milestone in the kingdom's efforts to open the ultra-conservative Muslim country for tourism and business. This comes as drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden in Islam, according to Reuters.
Addressing "Illicit Trade of Alcohol"
The development is also part of wider plans known as Vision 2030 that seeks to build a post-oil economy within the region. The area where the new alcohol shop will be located is a neighborhood where embassies and diplomats reside.
Currently, Saudi Arabia has strict laws against drinking alcohol and those who break it can be punished by hundreds of lashes, deportation, fines, or imprisonment. Furthermore, expatriates also face deportation if they are found to be going against the law. As part of the reforms, officials have largely replaced whipping with jail sentences.
One Western diplomat who requested to remain anonymous due to professional restrictions said that their colleagues had already visited the new store. They noted that the shop was "extremely well stocked."
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 is a multi-trillion-dollar campaign to remake the Gulf country's image. It includes efforts to attract tourists and diversify the region's economy instead of relying on oil, said CNBC.
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