十年革新巨变，沙特才是中东宝藏旅行地
提起沙特阿拉伯，你的第一印象是什么？是遍地石油、挥金如土的土豪国度？是黑袍遮身、戒律森严的保守中东王国？还是沉闷、传统、与现代世界格格不入的神秘土地？
过去十年，一场脱胎换骨的巨变正在沙特悄然上演。而让这个神秘国度彻底解锁、走向大众视野的，正是沙特年轻的改革掌舵人——穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼。这个年仅40岁的年轻掌权者，打破沙特的保守桎梏，把曾经封闭小众、只适合朝圣与商务的传统王国，变成了开放包容、玩法多元、适配全球游客的中东新晋旅行胜地。
今天我们就从旅行视角聊聊：沙特这十年到底变了多少？那些颠覆认知的新风景、新玩法、新体验，太值得奔赴！
穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼·本·阿卜杜勒-阿齐兹·阿勒沙特
Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
沙特阿拉伯王储兼首相
Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
What springs to mind first when you hear of Saudi Arabia? Is it an affluent oil-rich nation home to deep-pocketed elites? A conservative Middle Eastern kingdom defined by traditional abaya dress and stringent religious codes? Or an enigmatic land steeped in old customs, seemingly out of step with the modern world?
Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has been undergoing a profound, transformative shift under the radar. Spearheading this dramatic opening-up and bringing the secluded kingdom into the global limelight is the country’s young reform architect, Mohammed bin Salman. Now in his early forties, the ruling royal has dismantled long-standing conservative restrictions, remaking the once insular state—formerly reserved mainly for pilgrimages and business trips—into an inclusive, diversely equipped emerging travel hotspot in the Middle East catering to international visitors.
Today let’s look at Saudi Arabia through a traveler’s lens: how much has the kingdom transformed over the past decade? Its eye-opening new sights, activities and immersive experiences make it absolutely worth a trip!
01 从神秘封闭到开放自由，旅行体验全面升级
十年前的沙特，对普通游客来说十分陌生。女性出行受限、娱乐场景空白、游玩配套稀缺，整个国家氛围庄重压抑，极少有普通旅行者会把这里列入旅行清单。彼时的沙特，是大众认知里遥远、保守、难以抵达的中东国度。
而这十年，沙特率先放开社会限制，彻底打开国门，拥抱全球旅行者。
A decade ago, Saudi Arabia was largely unfamiliar to ordinary tourists. Women faced restrictions on going out, entertainment options were non-existent, and tourism infrastructure was sparse. The country carried a solemn, stifling atmosphere, so few average travellers put it on their travel bucket lists. Back then, it was widely perceived as a remote, conservative and hard-to-reach Middle Eastern nation.
Over the past ten years, however, Saudi Arabia has taken the lead in lifting social restrictions, fully opened its borders and welcomed travellers from across the globe.
2018年，他一纸政令解除女性驾车禁令，终结了沙特长达半个世纪的女性出行禁锢，沙特女性首次手握方向盘，真正拥有了出行自由。
紧接着，一系列颠覆式变革接踵而至：
✅ 女性获得就业、就学、创业的平等权利，不再需要男性监护人陪同，大量女性涌入职场、商场、政务岗位，彻底打破性别就业壁垒；
✅ 封闭数十年的电影院全面重启，音乐厅、艺术节、演唱会遍地开花，国际巨星纷纷登陆利雅得，小众潮流、现代艺术走进大众生活；
✅ 开放旅游签证，取消诸多世俗禁令，普通游客无需特殊担保即可入境，曾经仅限商务、朝圣的国度，正式拥抱全球游客；
利雅得狂欢季是沙特自 2021 年起每年 10 月至次年 3 月举办的国家级重磅文旅盛会，汇聚国际赛事、演艺演出、主题乐园与全球美食，是中东标志性全民娱乐节庆。Launched in 2021, Riyadh Season is Saudi Arabia’s flagship annual cultural & entertainment festival running from October to March, featuring global sports tournaments, live concerts, themed parks and worldwide cuisines as a landmark carnival across the Middle East。
In 2018, he issued a royal decree lifting the ban on women driving, ending a half-century-long restriction on Saudi women’s mobility. For the first time ever, Saudi women got behind the wheel and gained genuine freedom of movement.
Groundbreaking reforms rolled out shortly afterward:
✅Women were granted equal rights to employment, education and entrepreneurship, no longer required a male guardian’s accompaniment. Large numbers of women entered the workforce, retail sectors and government posts, dismantling long-standing gender barriers in employment.
✅Cinemas shuttered for decades reopened nationwide; concert halls, art festivals and live concerts sprouted across the country. A host of international superstars staged shows in Riyadh, bringing niche trends and contemporary art into ordinary people’s daily lives.
✅Tourist visas were introduced alongside the repeal of numerous secular restrictions. Regular travellers could enter the country without special sponsorship, transforming a nation once open only to business visitors and pilgrims into a welcoming destination for tourists worldwide.
Kingdom Centre王国中心 地标商场
如今的沙特街头，不再是清一色的黑袍肃穆。年轻男女穿搭新潮、活力满满，商场里人声鼎沸，音乐节、体育赛事、主题乐园常年热闹。沉闷保守的旧沙特，早已变成鲜活开放的新沙特。
这场社会改革的核心，从来不是“颠覆传统”，而是让年轻人拥有选择权。在沙特年轻人口占比极高的当下，萨勒曼用开放留住了年轻人的活力，也让这个古老王国摆脱了僵化停滞的困境。
Nowadays, Saudi streets are no longer filled exclusively with people in sombre black abayas. Young men and women dress fashionably and brim with vitality. Shopping malls buzz with crowds, while music festivals, sports events and theme parks thrive all year round. The old, stodgy and conservative Saudi Arabia has evolved into a vibrant, open new nation.At its core, this round of social reform was never intended to upend traditions, but to grant young people the power of choice. With youth accounting for a large share of Saudi Arabia’s population, King Salman has preserved the vigour of the younger generation through opening-up policies and pulled the ancient kingdom out of stagnation and rigid stagnation.
02 告别单一石油标签，超多网红旅行新城崛起
依托2030愿景，沙特开启全面城市与文旅升级，核心目标就是：摆脱单一资源标签，打造世界级旅游度假王国。
为了实现这个目标，出手即是大手笔：
🔥 重金打造世界级文旅新城，颠覆大众对中东城市的认知； 大力布局文旅、休闲、体育、艺术产业，搭建全方位旅行游玩体系，四季皆有特色活动；
🔥 爆款地标层出不穷：未来新城NEOM、娱乐新城Qiddiya，颜值与体验感拉满，成为新晋网红打卡地；
🔥 大幅简化入境、游玩政策，降低旅行门槛，让普通人轻松赴沙旅行。
十年深耕，成效显著。如今的沙特，早已不是单调的荒漠石油城，而是颜值超高、玩法丰富、适配全年龄段的中东宝藏旅行地，小众高端、体验独特，性价比与稀缺感拉满。
利雅得奇迪亚六旗主题乐园 Six Flags Qiddiya City
Anchored in Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has embarked on an extensive upgrade of its cities and tourism industry, centred on shedding its single-resource reputation to evolve into a world-class tourist and holiday destination.
To fulfil this ambition, the country has rolled out massive investment initiatives:
🔥It invests heavily in constructing world-class new cultural and tourism cities, reshaping global perceptions of Middle Eastern urban development;
🔥It vigorously expands tourism, leisure, sports and arts sectors to build a full-spectrum recreational ecosystem packed with seasonal signature events year-round;
🔥Iconic landmark projects keep emerging, including the futuristic NEOM and entertainment hub Qiddiya, which have risen as trending travel hotspots thanks to their striking design and immersive experiences;
🔥Entry and travel regulations have been drastically streamlined to lower access barriers for ordinary international travellers.
红海度假区特色酒店
Red Sea Project Resort Themed Hotels
A decade of sustained investment has borne fruitful results. Far from being a barren oil-focused desert state, modern-day Saudi Arabia has emerged as an underrated Middle Eastern gem suited for visitors of all ages, featuring diverse attractions, exclusive upscale experiences, outstanding value and irreplaceable travel uniqueness.
03 传统与新潮碰撞，解锁独一无二的中东旅行
当然，萨勒曼的改革从来不是完美的。激进的新政、铁腕的风格，让他始终身处争议漩涡，外界对他的评价褒贬不一。但不可否认的是，没有他的大刀阔斧，就没有沙特的十年蜕变。
这个40岁的年轻领导者，打破了祖辈守旧安逸的发展模式，顶着保守派的巨大阻力，用十年时间，完成了沙特几代人都不敢做的变革：
从封闭保守，到开放包容；从资源绑定，到多元发展；从被动依附，到主动崛起。正如萨勒曼自己所说：沙特的未来，不依赖石油，而依赖人民的思想与潜力。
如今的沙特，依然保留着传统伊斯兰的底蕴与庄重，却多了现代化的活力与开放。新旧共生、传统与现代交融，正是这个中东大国最动人的模样。未来，这个不断突破、持续进化的国家，还将带给世界更多惊喜。
利雅得夜景
Riyadh’s night skyline
Of course, Crown Prince Salman’s reforms have never been flawless. His radical new policies and resolute governing style have kept him mired in controversy, drawing a mixed bag of assessments from across the globe. Yet it is undeniable that Saudi Arabia would not have undergone its remarkable transformation over the past decade without his sweeping reforms.This leader, who embarked on reform in his forties, discarded the stagnant, complacent development model upheld by his forebears.
Braving fierce pushback from conservative factions, he has pushed through transformations over ten years that successive generations of Saudi rulers dared not attempt: shifting from insularity and conservatism to openness and inclusiveness; moving beyond an oil-reliant economy toward diversified growth; evolving from passive dependence to proactive self-advancement.As Salman himself put it: Saudi Arabia’s future hinges not on oil, but on the minds and potential of its people.
Saudi Arabia still retains the heritage and solemnity of traditional Islamic culture while brimming with modern vitality and openness. The coexistence of old and new and the integration of tradition and modernity embody the country’s most captivating charm. As it keeps evolving and breaking boundaries, this major Middle Eastern nation will bring more surprises to the world in the future.
(图片来源网络,侵删)