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Quick View on KSA World’s Fastest-Growing Tourism Sector

$810 Bln. of Investments in Culture, Entertainment projects to Enhance Quality of Life

By: Salma Yassin

Turning the Kingdom into a top world destination for citizens and tourists has lately become a major concern for KSA leadership in line with Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s ambitious reform plan called Vision 2030.

The Kingdom has been focusing on opening itself to the world by planning $810 billion of investments in culture, leisure and entertainment projects over the next decade.

The targeted investments aim at improving the quality of life for all ages and enriching visitors’ experiences away from religious tourism. This is expected to make a huge progress towards the country’s main goal to have 100 million visitors by 2030.

In a similar vein, serious and rapid measures are being taken to improve public services including security services, infrastructure, transport network, upgrading buildings, developing tourist destinations such as hotels, museums, parks and entertainment centers.

The country is also investing in the training of tourism services staff in order to provide better service to visitors. This is in addition to efforts to develop a more flexible visa programs for those wishing to visit the Kingdom.

AMAALA Project
It’s the world’s first integrated family wellness destination, offering unique and restorative guest experiences for all.

It’s 4,155 sq. km of pristine landscape hidden in plain sight on Saudi Arabia’s northwestern coast; it will be home to more than 3,000 hotel rooms, residential establishments, recreational facilities, a world-leading marine life institute and iconic Yacht Club. All these are set within an area of outstanding natural beauty.

New Murabba
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has launched New Murabba Development Corporation (NMDC) to implement an outstanding development project spreading over 19 square kilometers to the northwest of downtown Riyadh.

It’s a future ambitious plan of a smart city that will take visitors to a completely other world of prosperity and luxury.

It will feature green areas, walking and cycling paths to enhance the quality of life by promoting healthy, active lifestyles and community activities.

Additionally, the project will feature more than 80 cultural and entertainment venues, a museum, a technology and design university, an immersive multipurpose theater and 20 of New York’s trademark Empire State buildings.

As a significant part of the project, a 400-meter-high-cue shaped skyscraper Murabba will be built to be the world’s first immersive destination.

By 2030, the project is expected to add $48 billion to the GDP and generate 334,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Marriot Hotels at Sindalah Island 
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM, the most highly-anticipated developments in the world, has inked a deal with Marriot, the famous hospitality brand, to open three new hotels at the new luxury island Sindalah.

The deal includes Saudi Arabia’s first Autograph Collection Hotels property, as well as two Luxury Collection properties, inspired by the natural landscapes of NEOM.

Sindalah Island is the main gateway to the Red Sea and the first of a group of islands that will be developed in NEOM. It’s planned to cover about 840,000 square meters in order to rival top global tourist destinations such as Monaco and Athens.

The island is expected to open doors to visitors in 2024; it will host vibrant, world-class marina, yacht club, located just 17 hours sail from the Mediterranean.

It will also feature approximately 2,000 different marine species, many of which are exclusive to the Red Sea and cannot be found anywhere else.
Moreover, the island will include over 400 ultra-premium hotel rooms, 300 top-end suites, a beach club, a glamorous yacht club, and 38 unique culinary offerings.

NEOM Airlines

It’s the Saudi Arabia’s latest airline dedicated to enable travel for tourists, residents and commercial partners to and from NEOM. It’s going to be launched by the end of 2024.

NEOM Airlines will fly out of NEOM Bay Airport, which opened in 2019, before moving to NEOM International Airport. It will be jetting around the world: Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.

The new Airlines will adopt high-tech planes, easier, innovative travel, biometric check-ins, in-seat gaming and 6G Wi-Fi as its main goal to make travel as enjoyable as possible.

Riyadh Air

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has recently announced the launch of Riyadh Air, a new national airliner that will serve more than 100 destinations.

It’ll leverage Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographic location between the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, enabling Riyadh to become a gateway to the world and a global destination for transportation, trade, and tourism.

Also, it’ll include wide body jets which are usually used for long international flights, and expected to add $20 billion to the kingdom’s non-oil GDP growth and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The new carrier is backed by a public investment fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and aims to become a rival of Emirates Airline.

First Mondrian Hotel

Mondrian Riyadh Al Malga Hotel and Residences is scheduled to open in 2026, after Ennismore signed an agreement with Olayan Financing Company (OFC) to launch the first Mondrian hotel development in Saudi Arabia.

The hotel is Ennismore’s first development in the capital; it is designed to save energy, water, reduce carbon emissions and improve indoor air quality.

The new hotel will include 130 standard single, double, triple rooms and suites, besides offering three new restaurants and lounges and special areas for holding events.

It will be a tourism and cultural destination, including entertainment, dining and retail.

It will also benefit from easy access to Boulevard Riyadh, home to high-profile events, Najd Village and King Abdullah Financial District.

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