Is it possible to visit Saudi Arabia as a tourist? I'd very much like to go, but have drawn a complete blank at my local travel agent. David Webster, Lincolnshire

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: Unless you land an expat contract in the Kingdom, or are a Muslim doing the hajj to Mecca (or a pilgrimage at any time of year, called a Umrah), then getting into the country as a tourist is virtually impossible.

There has been the slightest crack in the door appear of late, with Saudi Arabian Airlines spearheading a move to grant a few more tourist visas in its Discover Saudi Arabia programme. You have to book a tour with an approved travel company. You can find a list at the Saudi Airlines site, and at the web pages of the Saudi embassy in London (look in the Consular section).

Men and women can't travel together unless they are married, and single female travellers will have to arrange to be met at the airport by a representative of their tour company. These are just two restrictions that the Kingdom imposes, but with the right planning and a lot of patience, a tourist trip to Saudi is inching towards being a possibility.

For more information, visit the Saudi Commission for Tourism www.sct.gov.sa, and see Lonely Planet's Saudi Arabia guide (£15.99).

Sadd Al-Samallaghi is a Jeddah-based tour company, which has a useful website.

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