RIYADH: Saudi King Salman will launch the construction of an “entertainment city” near Riyadh Saturday, authorities said, part of a series of multi-billion dollar projects as the Kingdom seeks to diversity its oil-reliant economy.
The 334-square kilometer project in Qiddiya, southwest of Riyadh, would rival Walt Disney and include high-end theme parks, motor sport facilities and a safari park, officials say.
The facility highlights a “relentless effort to develop giga-projects that will help achieve many direct and indirect economic returns,” project official Fahd bin Abdullah Tounsi was quoted as saying in a government statement on Monday.
Qiddiya chief executive Michael Reininger said he expects the project will draw foreign investors in entertainment and other sectors, but did not specify the total cost of construction.
Such projects are the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a self-styled liberal change agent who is the chief architect of the sweeping “Vision 2030” reform program.
Saudi Arabia has dazzled investors with several plans for hi-tech “giga projects,” funded in part by its sovereign wealth fund, but some skeptics question their viability in an era of cheap oil.
The Kingdom has unveiled blueprints to build NEOM, a mega project billed as a regional Silicon Valley, in addition to the Red Sea project, a reef-fringed resort destination — both worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
Analysts say the projects could create funding pressures at a time when the government faces a yawning budget deficit and growth in the Kingdom’s non-oil economy is only slowly gathering pace.
The reform stems partly from an economic motive to boost domestic spending on entertainment as the Kingdom has been reeling from an oil slump since 2014.
Saudis currently splurge billions of dollars annually to see films and visit amusement parks in neighboring tourist hubs like Dubai and Bahrain.
In February, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) announced it will stage more than 5,000 festivals and concerts in 2018, double the number of last year, and pump $64 billion in the sector in the coming decade.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will patronize the launch of Qiddiya Project
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will patronize the launch of Qiddiya Project
- Qiddiya Project is the new entertainment, sports and cultural destination in the Kingdom
- The first phase will be completed by 2022
Saudi Arabia positions space sector as pillar of knowledge economy
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is stepping up efforts to develop its space sector as part of wider plans to build a diversified, knowledge-based economy under Vision 2030, officials and industry figures say.
Space is increasingly seen in the Kingdom as a driver of technology development, job creation, and international cooperation, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Policymakers say it now underpins a range of services, from telecommunications and navigation to climate monitoring and disaster management.
CEO of the Saudi Space Agency Mohammed Al-Tamimi said space technologies are closely linked to daily life and national development priorities.
“Space has become a vital tool for human development,” he said, noting that innovations in communications, Earth observation and navigation support sectors such as agriculture, logistics and urban planning.
Al-Tamimi added that growing private-sector involvement is creating new opportunities for startups and international partnerships, as Saudi Arabia seeks to build local capabilities rather than rely solely on imported technology.
Recent years have seen a series of institutional reforms. The establishment of the Saudi Space Agency in 2018, the transfer of regulatory responsibilities to the Communications, Space and Technology Commission, and the creation of the Supreme Space Council, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have helped set clearer governance and strategy for the sector.
Saudi Arabia has also expanded its participation in global programs. Agreements with NASA include cooperation on climate and space-weather missions, while partnerships with research centers and space companies support training, joint experiments, and technology transfer.
Domestically, investment is being directed toward satellite manufacturing, Earth-observation platforms, and data services linked to smart-city and environmental projects. Neo Space Group, owned by the Public Investment Fund, is expected to play a key role in developing sovereign capabilities and attracting international partners.
Youth programs and education initiatives feature prominently in the strategy. Competitions, academic research projects, and astronaut training opportunities are designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science and engineering.
In 2023, Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni participated in the Axiom-2 mission to the International Space Station, conducting scientific and outreach activities.
According to national indicators, the Saudi space economy was valued at around $8.7 billion in 2024 and is forecast to grow steadily through 2035, with expansion expected across both manufacturing and downstream services such as data analytics and navigation.
Officials also highlight sustainability as a priority. New regulations aim to ensure safe and responsible space activity, while the Kingdom plans to host the Space Debris Conference in 2026 to discuss global challenges linked to congestion in orbit.
As Saudi Arabia deepens partnerships and builds local expertise, analysts say the sector could support economic diversification, strengthen research capacity and provide high-skilled opportunities for young Saudis.
For policymakers, the space sector is less about prestige and more about practical outcomes: better services, stronger national capabilities and a foothold in an industry expected to grow rapidly in the coming decade.
