RIYADH: Jeddah Historic District has partnered with Google Arts & Culture to launch Saudi Arabia’s first AI-powered digital tours, offering immersive virtual experiences of the city’s cultural heritage.
Announced during the Cultural Investment Conference in Riyadh, the initiative aims to digitally map and showcase Jeddah’s historical landmarks using artificial intelligence, providing virtual experiences accessible to audiences worldwide.
The project supports the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals to use advanced technologies in cultural preservation and tourism, while highlighting Google’s role in Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation.
Charbel Sarkis, country director at Google Saudi Arabia, said: “Google Arts & Culture provides the digital infrastructure and the distribution network, in addition to the technological innovation that the cultural sector needs to remain vibrant and relevant as we move forward.”
He added: “Google has been a proud partner of Saudi Arabia’s bold digital transformation. All our efforts and investments have been geared towards empowering individuals, businesses and communities.”
As part of the collaboration, the Explore Historic Jeddah platform will offer an immersive digital experience that brings the city's cultural legacy to life.
The initiative will feature more than 30 stories detailing Jeddah’s historical significance, restoration projects, and its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Users can explore over 15 Street View captures of key landmarks — including traditional houses, mosques, and pathways — and access more than 10 AI-powered walking tours.
The platform will also include a Virtual Pocket Gallery showcasing archival photos and regeneration efforts, along with interactive features such as “Puzzle Party” to engage broader audiences.
Through the Google Arts & Culture platform — a nonprofit initiative partnering with over 3,000 cultural institutions globally — the collaboration will provide free digital infrastructure and advanced digitization tools to preserve and showcase Jeddah’s cultural assets.
“Being part of this incredible transformation of Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030 is just so inspiring,” Sarkis said.
He emphasized that Google’s support for Saudi Arabia’s economic and digital ecosystem spans more than a decade, including local initiatives like the 2011 Google Forum in Saudi Arabia and the launch of the Google Cloud region in Dammam in 2023.
“Since 2018, Google has trained more than 590,000 individuals on digital skills,” Sarkis added, highlighting the company’s ongoing investment in human capital development and local partnerships.
He also pointed to the broader economic impact of Google’s operations in the Kingdom. “Last year, a report by Public First assessed Google’s economic contribution to the Kingdom north of SR30 billion,” Sarkis said. “The power of marrying technology and local partnership is just magical.”
