Saudi Arabia appears to have widened access to alcohol, allowing non-Muslims holding a special residency status to purchase alcoholic drinks from a Riyadh store previously reserved for foreign diplomats, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the past few days, Premium Residency holders have been able to buy alcohol from the Diplomatic Quarter outlet. The government has made no announcement — those who went to the store heard about the change through word of mouth, the people said. Spokespeople for the Saudi Premium Residency program and the Media Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
New alcohol stores for diplomats and premium residency holders are also expected to open in other parts of the country, including Jeddah and Dhahran, people familiar said.
The move is the latest step by the Saudi government to formalize alcohol sales and consumption as the kingdom pursues a plan to make tourism a key pillar of its economic diversification.
