Saudis to build entertainment, cultural and sports city
Facility in Al Qidiya that includes a safari aims to meet social needs of future generations
Saudi Arabia’s largest entertainment, cultural and sports city will be built in Al Qidiya, southwest of Riyadh, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Investment Fund, announced yesterday.
The city, claimed to be the first of its kind in the world, will be built over 334 square kilometres, including a major safari area. Prince Mohammad said that this city will become a prominent cultural landmark and an important centre for meeting the recreational, cultural and social needs of the future generations in the kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The country’s most ambitious project comes within the framework of plans to support the vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2030 by creating quality and distinctive investments at home in order to serve the country and its citizens, Prince Mohammad said.
It also contributes to diversifying the sources of national income, boosts the Saudi economy and creates more employment opportunities. The foundation stone for the city is scheduled to be laid early next year and the opening of its first phase will take place in 2022.
The city will make a qualitative leap in raising the standards of services in Riyadh and give the capital a major boost to become one of the top 100 cities for living in the world, Prince Mohammad said.
Saudi Arabia announced plans yesterday to build a 334 square km “entertainment city” south of the capital Riyadh, to feature sports, cultural and recreational facilities including a safari and a Six Flags theme park.
The city will be built in Al Qidiya, southwest of the Saudi capital Riyadh, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Investment Fund, announced yesterday.
The city, the first of its kind in the world, will also have a major safari area.
Prince Mohammad said that this city will become a prominent cultural landmark and an important centre for meeting the recreational, cultural and social needs of the future generations in the kingdom, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Prince Salman said the most ambitious project comes within the framework of plans to support Saudi Arabia’s vision 2030 by creating quality and distinctive investments at home in order to serve the country and the citizens.
It will also contribute to diversify the sources of national income, boost Saudi economy and create more employment opportunities for young people.
Prince Salman said that the Public Investment Fund is the main investor in the project, along with a number of local and international investors. The project will boost the country’s position as an important international centre in attracting foreign investments.
Other local and international investors will also provide capital, the statement said, without elaborating on the size of the investment.
“This city will become, by God’s will, a prominent cultural landmark and an important centre for meeting the future generation’s recreational, cultural and social needs in the kingdom,” said Prince Mohammed in a statement.
The foundation stone of the project is scheduled to be laid early next year and its first phase will be opened in 2022.
The city will make a qualitative leap in raising the standard of services in Riyadh and give it a major boost to become one of the top 100 cities for living in the world, Prince Mohammad said.
Prince Salman said the project will not only provide entertainment, fun and joy to the visitors, it will also give them an opportunity to live harmoniously in a city built according to international standards.
US-based Six Flags announced in June that it had begun talks with the Saudi government to build theme parks as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 efforts to expand its entertainment sector and diversify the economy.
Chief Executive Jim ReidAnderson said later in the year that the company aimed to build three parks in Saudi Arabia, each costing between $300 million and $500 million.
But developing a leisure sector is fraught with difficulties in the kingdom, which adheres to a strict social code where women are required to wear loosefitting robes, cinemas and alcohol are banned and public spaces are gender-segregated.