Riyadh:
Saudi Arabia's decision to allow the sale of alcohol to non-Muslim diplomats is the latest in a series of reforms aimed at projecting a more open, moderate image, according to two sources.
Here are five other notable changes implemented in recent years under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose reputation took a major hit with the 2018 killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Cinemas opened again
In April 2018, “Black Panther” became the first film to be shown in Saudi Arabia in 35 years, as the country lifted a ban on cinemas imposed by clerics in the 1970s.
Riyadh said it planned to open more than 300 cinemas by 2030.
However, like TV shows, films are subject to strict selection and censorship to avoid depictions of sex, religion or politics.
Women at the wheel
In June 2018, Saudi Arabia lifted a decades-long ban on women driving – the only one of its kind in the world that made women dependent on men for mobility.
Since 2018, thousands of women have slipped behind the wheel, some of whom have become mechanics or taxi drivers.
However, the euphoria created by the measure was tarnished by a major crackdown on many of the female activists who had previously campaigned to have the ban lifted.
Traveling without a male 'guardian'
In 2019, Saudi women aged 21 or older were allowed to apply for a passport and travel abroad without first obtaining permission from a male 'guardian' – husband, father or other male relative.
The move marked a significant loosening of the controversial guardianship system, in which men exercise almost complete authority over women.
Tourists welcome
In an effort to reduce its dependence on oil revenues and diversify its economy, Saudi Arabia began opening up to tourism for the first time in September 2019 – the so-called 'white oil'.
Until then, Saudi Arabia had only issued visas to Muslim pilgrims, foreign workers or, as of 2018, to people attending sporting and cultural events.
Prince Mohammed had announced a year earlier a major tourism project to turn fifty islands and a series of Red Sea locations into luxury resorts.
However, tourists who flout the country's rules on modest dress face heavy fines.
Gender mixing
Long banned, men and women have been allowed to mingle in public in recent years.
Women were allowed to enter a football stadium to watch a match for the first time in 2018 and can now also attend concerts with men.
They also no longer have to fear stick-wielding guardians of public morality to bathe together on some beaches, and rules on wearing abaya robes have been relaxed.
Women, who were previously limited to a handful of careers, mainly in healthcare and education, are now joining men in the workplace.
Millions of women have entered the workforce since 2016, becoming bankers, shoe sellers, entrepreneurs and border guards, among others.
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