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ABHA: Several Saudi businesswomen started traveling with a group of friends after recent regulations which allow women to travel without their mahram.
These women said they find great fun to travel as a group with their friends and their children, where they can achieve their goals of travel.
Travel and tourism offices said many Saudi women’s groups prefer to travel to Arab countries such as Dubai, Egypt and Bahrain, and a few women travel to European countries or non-Arab states due to the different habits in non-Arab countries that force some of them to choose countries similar to the Saudi environment.
Um Ali, 30, traveled abroad with friends of the family for shopping in some world cities. But after marriage, her children and husband’s desires changed her plans to travel where they wanted especially to visit museums and scientific places.
Fatma Yahya, a postgraduate student, is keen on traveling abroad to learn cultures of other people and their ways of living. Yahya prefers to visit marine and green places. She clarified that lack of tourism education is the reason behind her reluctance to spend her vacation inside the Kingdom.
Khadija Al-Qahtani, a journalist, said: “Local society changed its outlook toward Saudi women and started respecting them. Saudi women do not have any problem traveling alone abroad as they have succeeded in working in high positions in addition to their contributions to support their families and communities.
"People in the Kingdom cannot criticize women when they travel abroad with their friends as they have the same rights as men, while local society does not criticize women when they travel with their female relatives especially within the Kingdom."
Jibreen Al-Jibreen, an associate professor of social studies at King Saud University, said: “Saudi women can travel abroad with their friends or even travel alone. However, it is normal and must not draw attention.”