The Gulf Cooperation Council’s “Grand Tours” unified visa is expected to launch by the end of 2024, permitting intercountry travel for foreign nationals living in all six GCC states akin to the European Union’s Schengen Area. With the unified visa projected to ease travel logistics and boost tourism revenue, tourism sectors across the GCC states are strategically working to craft multicountry tourism packages in tandem with the announcement of the visa. This, alongside government master plans committing sizable investments into their respective tourism sectors, from Saudi Arabia’s oft-quoted $1 trillion commitment by 2030 to Oman’s $31 billion pledge by 2040, will inevitably transform travel across the region. With an eye to hospitality infrastructure, planned accommodations showcase the wealth of the oil-rich region. These include the landmark Wynn Resort in Ras Al Khaimah, the recently opened IHG Hotels and Resorts Arabella Beach Hotel in Kuwait, and, most prominent, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Development, an eco-tourism project that aims to build 50 luxury resorts.

While greater ease in crossing land borders might prompt an increase in camping, the development of accommodations in locales previously only accessible to outdoor adventurers might lead to a gradual erosion of the Gulf’s camping tradition, which recalls a time when nomadic communities ruled the Arabian Peninsula.

Glamping in the Gulf 

In the Gulf today, recreational camping retains a cultural significance rooted in Bedouin tradition. However, it paradoxically evokes a reality more akin to “glamping,” or luxury camping. Customized four-wheel drive vehicles traverse sand dunes with ease, outfitted with pop-up rooftop tents and a host of other amenities, from electric grills to showers. Young travelers plan multiday trips crossing desert expanses, camping in comfort against rugged and remote landscapes. This is the foremost image of khaleeji camping that floods social media, particularly since the 2023 Liwa International Festival that attracted 300,000 visitors to witness the best in motorsports. While over the top in certain respects, glamping allows for comfortable overnight trips in harder to reach places, such as Yellow Lake in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province or the United Arab Emirates’ mountain ranges.

With the global market size of glamping projected to increase from $2.68 billion in 2021 to $7.11 billion in 2031, Gulf states are unsurprisingly attempting to capitalize on this enthusiasm for camping with luxury desert camps, enhancing the comfort of outdoor getaways. In Qatar, the opening of the Outpost Al Barari, a luxury campsite in the Inland Sea nature reserve, came as the country hosted the 2022 World Cup. In February, Our Habitas Ras Abrouq, a luxury desert resort, opened on Qatar’s west coast. Meanwhile, Caravan by Habitas AlUla in Saudi Arabia eschews the traditional tent for 22 Airstream trailers as guest accommodations; at $400 a night, it is more affordable than other luxury outdoor lodging in the Gulf. And in Kuwait, the long-awaited Dunas oasis resort is set to open by the end of the year, with the developers betting that visitors who may have stayed in a luxury desert camp in the past will instead opt for a hotel designed to blend harmoniously into surrounding sand dunes.

Will the luxury desert camp or resort replace independent camping in the Gulf? If camping in the Gulf is viewed as merely a pastime reserved for wealthy youth eager to escape the watchful eye of conservative societies, that may be the obvious conclusion. But that doesn’t capture the full picture of khaleeji camping.

A Broader Perspective

Curated social media pages of travel bloggers and tourism boards show the myriad forms of camping in the Gulf. Across the GCC states in the winter, vehicles are packed to the brim with tents and mats, coffee jugs and food, and kids on the way for a family picnic or overnight trip. In Oman, where wild camping is legal, allowing individuals to camp anywhere that isn’t private land, almost every corner of the sultanate is a possible stop to set up camp. Where the legality of wild camping is less clear, families escape to family farms or privately owned campgrounds, which can offer simple land to pitch a tent or indoor accommodations. State-owned campgrounds, like campsites at U.S. public parks, are also increasing in number. A recent visit to the UAE’s Hatta campground revealed the demand for state-owned campsites. With an extensive trail network for hikers and bikers, a dam for fishing, and a nearby town for supplies, Hatta is often at capacity, crowded with families who drive from Dubai for a more manageable adventure than camping far from basic services. Notably, Hatta is a particularly popular escape for expatriate families that may not be as familiar with wild camping in the region or desire a less expensive option than many holiday destinations in the Gulf. 

The Evolution of Camping in the Gulf

Kashta, a term that loosely translates to “camping,” is deeply embedded in the cultural fabric of the Arabian Peninsula. Kashta does not simply refer to being in the wilderness but encompasses a communal connection to a shared heritage intertwined with the diverse geographies of the Gulf – from its mountain ranges and beaches to its sand dunes and valleys.

As Gulf states plan for an increase in tourists, both from the region and across the globe, will camping as it exists today fade into the past, no longer synchronous with the ultra-modern vision of the Gulf? Or will it remain a beloved pastime, a quiet challenge to an experience focused more on the business aspects of tourism and camping than on its more rustic pleasures. Will it exist in only a commercialized form, evolving into a luxury tourist offering marketed as a quasi-anthropological experience?

Only time will tell how camping in the Gulf will continue to evolve. However, the spirit of kashta – a cultural tradition tied to a land and people – has withstood dramatic changes in the past, while also evolving over time to make the experience more accessible. The Gulf states, having demonstrated an increasing commitment to cultural heritage preservation – intangible and tangible – may be able to preserve this notion of kashta when designing the future of travel in the GCC. To do so, they will need to focus on preserving a menu of options for all types of would-be campers and not lose sight of the powerful traditions of camping in Gulf states that have emphasized wilderness, heritage, and geography.