Is it okay to ride the world's biggest roller coaster?

Courageous article. Well done.

This falls under the same reason why I will NOT visit China. I have met many wonderful people from China and Saudi Arabia over the years in my profession and personal life. I honestly do believe that anywhere you go people are just “people”. We all are basically the same.
However, when a country like China jails political dissidents, bans free speech and enslaves members of their populace…that is where i draw the line. Same thing with the Middle East where women are treated as second class citizens, it is a crime punishable by death to be a homosexual and religious minorities are treated like garbage…that is also where I draw the line.
I wish the people no ill will but I’ll be darned if I’ll put one red cent into those economies.

I won't even visit Texas because of their stand against Cannabis.

It's Like a Third world country there....

They will execute a woman for having an abortion..... They are so pro life they will kill you. hahahahahahahahahahah

“ You do not travel to change the world. You travel to change yourself.”

- well said Robert, well said indeed

I think you're missing the point here.

Yes we travel to change oourselvesbut not at any cost. We all of us have moral boundaries we will not cross. So for many people here in the UK, including myself, we choose not to travel to the US, not to give our money to that country, as long as Trump is in power. You may not agree with our reasoning but you don't have to. It's our reasoning, not yours. Equally I will not visit nor spend my money in a country that so flagrantly abuses the rights of so many people. Money they may have. Bling they have in abundance. And I'm sure I would have a great time if I went. But I could never live with myself if I did and ultimately that's what matters. Falcon's Flight may be an amazing roller coaster but there are already too many plany places in the world that I want to visit that I know I haven't got sufficient years to do so, so frankly FF will have to just manage without me. And you know what? I won't feel remotely guilty or as if I am missing out out on anything....

The world changes because people DO travel .. think about that clever statement haha

"Your decision whether to visit Six Flags Qiddiya City or not will have exactly zero influence on the state of the Middle East and the world. Even acting collectively..."

This is such a defeatist attitude. This is same as saying "my vote doesn't matter so I'm not even going to vote" and you wind up with current administration.

As a queer theme park enthusiast, I think it’s important to challenge the narrative of “visit to learn, not to approve.”

On the surface, it sounds fair—“I’ll travel there to experience the culture, not to support the politics.” But honestly, that’s a rather privileged way of seeing it. Visiting is never a neutral act. You don’t just observe; you participate. You enter the economy, you help validate the image the country wants to project—whether you intend to or not. Your friends and followers think: it's okay to go there.

This matters even more when it comes to Saudi Arabia, where tourism is part of a massive image-washing campaign. When you visit for Falcon’s Flight, you’re not just riding a coaster—you’re part of a PR strategy to present a shiny, sanitized version of this country to the world.

And while I appreciate the thoughtful way Theme Park Insider tries to initiate these conversations, it’s also important to recognize that large platforms come with influence. When someone with reach and respectability talks about visiting these places, it gives credibility to destinations that are actively trying to distract from serious human rights violations. Saudi officials want people like Robert to write about their world-class attractions instead of their systemic oppression—and that visibility has impact. The site's focus is themeparks, not politics.

As a queer person, I have to consider what it means to put my money and attention into a country where people like me are criminalized. And even as an ally, it’s worth reflecting on what message it sends to my queer friends: that my personal enjoyment is more important than their basic right to exist safely.

I’m all for cultural learning—but I don’t need to “learn” through financially supporting a regime that silences, criminalizes and in some cases kills its own people.

There are amazing parks and coasters in places where I can be myself without fear of imprisonment or worse. That’s where I’ll spend my money, my time, and my curiosity.

And I hope—actually, I expect—allies to do the same, especially now, when queer rights are not only under threat but actively being rolled back in so many places, the USA being one of them.

The US killed 100k in hiroshima. Orlando has more gun violence in a day, then Saudi has had all year. Places have great people and doo-doo heads. Saudi is not a monolith.

I would love to ride FF. The reason I won't is due to finances not xenophobia.

If people are going to be prejudiced towards you, that's their loss, not yours.

This entire article is a very great take and I agree with you.
However, it is not right to say the expulsion of Palestinians to create Israel.
Israel was never created, it's been the home of the Jews since before biblical times.
Yes it was recognized by the UN in 1948, but it has always been the homeland of the Israelites.
The palestinian authorites had multiple chances to accept a full two state solution offer years before 1948, which they repeatedly and selfishly denied, thats why they were expelled to a smaller plot of land because they couldn't accept a solution. Let's clarify that.

I think a more important question is whether it's ok to visit Canada to ride AlpenFury, given Canada's well known plan for world domination, starting with making the US the eleventh province.

Jeruselum was founded around 5000 years ago .. a tribe conquered it many years after and ruled it for 500 years but then was conquered by many other empires until somewhat recently. Not denying the current ruler but let’s be honest about its history!

I'm worried about visiting Epic Universe, because giving tourist dollars to Florida will only make their power grow. Soon, the whole country will be Florida.

Excellent article. Excellent comments.

Great article, Robert. Thank you for putting it together.

A few thoughts.

If the KSA is attempting to “whitewash” their image, you might want to ask yourself why. As Robert pointed out, they don’t need our money, so why promote tourism? Part of me would like to believe that they do want some acceptance on the world stage. Maybe that’s naïve, but this could be a small step towards conformity to western ideals.

Unless you live like the Amish, your money supports the KSA. Oil is a global market, and modern society doesn’t exist without oil. If you purchase inexpensive clothing and products at Walmart or buy Nike shoes, odds are they were made in China, and your money supports their government. So, any boycotts we make are largely symbolic, and are done to satisfy either our personal or group ethos - probably both. It’s okay to boycott, but don’t look like a hypocrite in the process (and that includes me as well).

Travel is important, especially now with the Internet influencing every aspect of our lives. We have tons of information, but very little context. Travel helps us gain that context. It also helps us be better because we expand our horizons and become better, more capable people as we encounter new and different situations and societies. I also believe that we have some influence, however small, on the people we come in contact with as we travel. You may doubt that, but in my lifetime, I’ve seen that small changes eventually make a big difference.

Excellent article, Robert. @Fappyblep - I'm glad you raised the issue of what visiting Saudi Arabia would be like from a woman's perspective. As someone remarked on FB, Saudi Arabia is a backward woman-hating country. That is why I wouldn't go there. I'd be afraid for my life. And although it's no longer required by law to wear a hijab and abaya, women are expected to dress modestly, with the elbows and ankles covered. I am guessing that this applies to some degree to foreigners. Certainly any sharp deviation from established customs would be risky. In this country no-one tells anyone how to dress. Of course there are certain guidelines such as male news anchors and male lawyers in a courtroom being expected to wear suits, but for the most part anything goes. As for Falcons Flight, I probably wouldn't go anywhere to ride it. A 500+ foot drop strikes me as a bit over the top.

This is a really good article that largely aligns with my view on the issue. As I've said in previous iterations of this discussion, I think it's fully up to each person individually whether or not they would feel comfortable traveling to Saudi Arabia for this park, and I wouldn't judge anyone regardless of which way they ultimately decide. This applies to pretty much every country, as the number of places in the world that don't have at least one significant undesirable trait is exceedingly small.

Something to keep in mind is that flying to Riyadh to visit Qiddiya City probably wouldn't be all that different from flying to Orlando to visit Walt Disney World. Sure, you're technically in another country, but you're largely insulated from it as you're spending your time in a carefully curated environment designed specifically for international tourists, and thus a lot of things that might raise in issue among residents in everyday life are not really a major concern for most visitors. This doesn't mean I'd expect them to be embracing the same values and ideals, but they'd probably be likely to turn a blind eye toward undesirables as long as they're not causing a disturbance.

Also, it's important to remember that many of the values we hold in the western world originate from the ideas of Christianity, so while disagreement with the standards and practices elsewhere is perfectly fine, claiming moral superiority over another culture that has crafted their own way of life in the same manner from a different source can definitely come off as hypocritical.

“As Robert pointed out, they don’t need our money, so why promote tourism?”

And that’s the trillion dollar question, which I think is answered pretty simply. The KSA understands that while their wealth comes from oil, it’s not going to last forever and being more accepting of western ideas and businesses. Tourism is a big part of that and vital to how the KSA want to “future-proof” their economy.