Now I've heard it all

Saudi Arabia is preparing to shake off its austere image in developing its tourism sector. It has created ambitious plans to train locals to deal with foreign tourists as well as develop various locations around the kingdom to attract those tourists.

It is ... significant that in December 2006 high-level representatives from the kingdom's commission for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, whose religious police uphold the Islamic values of society, joined forces with the SCT and the Ya Hala initiative to train their staff to deal with the expected increase in tourists. These special police are often seen by foreigners as intimidating but have of late been on a drive to deliver a more balanced approach.