NEOM wraps up China tour by confirming Sindalah island attraction to open in 2024

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NEOM Executive Director Tarek Qaddumi gestures at a map showing the megacity’s sites as he stands beside Nicholas Ho, left, the top Hong Kong official responsible for implementing China's Belt and Road Initiative, at an exhibition at the M+ museum for visual culture in Hong Kong. AFP
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NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr with top Hong Kong officials. SPA
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Updated 22 April 2024
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NEOM wraps up China tour by confirming Sindalah island attraction to open in 2024

RIYADH: Saudi megacity NEOM on Sunday wrapped up a tour courting Chinese investors with an event at its last destination, Hong Kong.

The event was organized in partnership with the Belt and Road Office under the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The roadshow for NEOM traveled from Beijing to Shanghai to Hong Kong, where potential investors flocked to a chic museum to peruse eye-popping renderings in various stages of development.

A series of presentations by the NEOM leadership team led the event agenda, showcasing the progress and milestones of NEOM to date, as well as the partnership and investment opportunities available to the audience, according to an official press release.

A private showcase “Discover NEOM: A New Future by Design,” was one of the many highlights of the event, providing guests with an immersive experience that explored The Line, the 170-km-long city that will be the future of urban living; Oxagon, which is redefining the traditional industrial model; Trojena, the mountain resort of NEOM, and finally, Sindalah, a luxury island destination in the Red Sea that will be open to the public later this year.

NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr said: “We would like to thank the finance and business sector for their support and contribution to the success of our tours ‘Discover NEOM.’ We enjoyed showcasing NEOM’s tangible on-the-ground progress and discussing the range of investment opportunities available to Hong Kong companies. We are looking forward to continuing to engage with our Hong Kong partners to meet our shared goals for a better future.”

NEOM’s Executive Director Tarek Qaddumi walked journalists through the exhibition at the M+ museum on Friday, talking up NEOM’s goal of balancing “nature conservation, human livability and economic prosperity.”

“NEOM is a very vast vision … It is an initiative that is probably the most exciting and the most forward-looking in the 21st century,” he said.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said: “As an open economy and one of the world’s top financial, investment, and innovation hubs, Hong Kong stands ready to support Saudi Arabia in achieving its vision while bringing growth opportunities for Hong Kong. Saudi Arabia is a key player in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

“With our internationally-benchmarked professional services and talent pool, Hong Kong can provide support for projects, such as NEOM, along the Belt and Road countries.”

Discover NEOM Hong Kong is the latest stop for the global roadshow and follows events in key markets including Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris, Berlin and London.

The megacity is progressing alongside other major development projects launched as part of Vision 2030.


Investment licenses in Saudi Arabia have increased 20-fold in 5 years 

Updated 17 December 2025
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Investment licenses in Saudi Arabia have increased 20-fold in 5 years 

RIYADH: The total number of investment licenses issued in Saudi Arabia rose 83.4 percent year on year in the third quarter of the current year to 6,986 licenses, excluding those issued under the campaign to correct the status of violators of the Anti-Concealment Law. 

According to the Financial Analysis Unit at Al-Eqtisadiah, investment licenses have increased twentyfold over the past five years, compared with 351 licenses in the third quarter of 2020.  

Since the announcement of Vision 2030 in 2016, foreign direct investment inflows have more than quadrupled. They grew by 24.2 percent last year to SR119.2 billion ($31.7 billion), marking the highest value and fastest growth rate in three years. This figure exceeds the annual target of SR109 billion by around 39 percent.     

By sector, most licenses issued during the third quarter of 2025 were concentrated in construction activity, accounting for around 37 percent of total licenses, with 2,583 licenses.   

This was followed by wholesale and retail trade with 1,214 licenses, representing 17 percent of the total. Manufacturing ranked third with 11 percent, bringing the combined share of the three sectors to 66 percent of total licenses.  

Wholesale and retail trade recorded the highest growth rate in investment licenses, with year-on-year growth of 234 percent, followed by the construction sector, human health and social work activities, education, and accommodation and food services, each posting growth of more than 100 percent.