If you’ve been following our journey for some time, you’ll know that here at Wild Frontiers, we’ve never shied away from travelling to or setting up tours in what might be considered 'controversial' destinations. By this point, we’re more than used to getting comments on some of the eyebrow-raising places we visit, so we've come to expect that. We all travel for different reasons and our tours aren't for everyone.

But just as frequently we receive feedback from people who have travelled to countries with a ‘bad reputation’, who are pleased that they pushed beyond their comfort zone to discover something they never expected. And that’s why we do this. Because we know that rarely, if ever, do governments or leaders represent an entire population.

It's understandable, and important, to question the ethical implications of travelling to controversial destinations, to ask yourself if your travel dollars might be lining the pockets of tyrants, endorsing human rights abuses or contributing to the suffering of others.

We believe that real travel often does, and should, raise difficult ethical questions.

The motivation to explore this topic, probably unsurprisingly, comes from our most recent addition of tours to Saudi Arabia. We were somewhat prepared for the backlash. Saudi Arabia is a complex country, but it’s also fascinating and home to some of the world’s finest desert scenery as well as a plethora of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Until recently, Saudi Arabia has been closed off to the outside world and its population is at the mercy of media reportage and an extreme government. That's not to say that its reputation isn’t justified, but things can, and do, change. Perhaps it’s time we see for ourselves. 

Of course, it is a niche destination, but our intrigue is clearly shared: it was the highest-clicked country on our website over the last few months and generated more interest than any destination we’ve launched before. But our reasons for visiting do go deeper than just intrigue, or wanting to be ‘that company’ that goes to some unconventional places.

Saudi society is going through some major changes at the moment with the launch of ‘Vision 2030’, a wide-ranging programme of reform initiated by the Saudi government. This covers everything from society and sport to the economy, housing and the arts. Being a part of this in their very early days of tourism is exciting, but the Kingdom remains a deeply conservative country and is likely to be different from any other destination you may have visited before.

This will appeal to the adventurous traveller because there are few parts of our world left like this anymore, with mass tourism being so commonplace. Tourism, other than for religious purposes, is a new concept for the Kingdom. Tourists are notoriously limited or nonexistent in countries with bad human rights records and we aren’t choosing to ignore that. The decision to travel to countries like this shouldn’t be taken lightly, but also shouldn’t be considered an endorsement of governmental policy.

If we take a look at the other side of the coin, tourism often benefits the majority of regular citizens living and working under oppressive governments. Tourism, if done correctly, can provide the people most in need of an income with the opportunity to earn for themselves. But, maybe even more importantly, it provides a link to the outside world.

Countries like North Korea, or at times, Myanmar and countless others, rely on being cut off from the world to rule unchallenged. If you limit people's access to global ideas, news, and ideologies - either through media or personal interaction - you can control the narrative and create a dichotomy of power, sometimes through fear, sometimes through reverence. Tourism exposes both the world to those closed-off societies, making them aware of atrocities committed behind closed doors, and isolated societies to new ideas, and that’s when the seed of change can be planted.

The very fact that Saudi Arabia is opening up to tourism already signifies a shift. We’ve been assured that eventually, we will be able to use female guides and that there will be plenty of opportunities for genuine interaction with locals. There are also no current restrictions on adult women travelling solo and no requirements for women to wear the abaya (the long black dress covering the body from shoulders to feet) or cover their hair. These are small but significant steps in the right direction.

If we begin to boycott tourism to countries because we don’t agree with their approach to human rights, where do we stop? In some places, it’s illegal to be homosexual, female genital mutilation is legal, women don’t have equal rights to men, ethnic cleansing still occurs, slavery is still commonplace and the list goes on. These issues aren’t confined to ‘developing countries’ - you can’t turn a corner in this world without occasionally questioning where humanity can be found.

It doesn’t mean we don’t stand up and take action, it just means we take into consideration the best, most effective way we can do that. 

The question isn’t should we travel to these places but instead, we need to ask ourselves, what are our motivations for doing so? How can we travel responsibly and what can we do, in our small but never insignificant way, to help? 

Is it simply by giving these countries a chance to do better, spurred on by the watchful eyes of the world? Is it by listening to the people on the ground and giving their voices a platform? Is it by consciously choosing to spend money in family-run guesthouses, hiring local guides or buying souvenirs from local artisans, so your tourist dollars line the right pockets? These are small but powerful ways you can travel to controversial destinations and make a positive difference. But often, if you're equipped with an open mind and an open heart, your presence alone might be enough to make an impact.