RIYADH: Qiddiya City, the massive entertainment, sports and cultural destination under construction near Riyadh, is scaling up quickly as it aims to add SR44 billion ($11.7 billion) to gross domestic product and create 85,000 jobs by 2030.
The Qiddiya Investment Company’s ambitious inaugural project, a global destination built from the ground up focused on the concept of “play,” is starting to roll out its entertainment attractions, sports venues and the infrastructure to support them. The hype really began to build when the Six Flags Qiddiya City theme park, the first of 70 major attractions, opened on New Year’s Eve.
Spanning an area of more than 360 sq. km, Qiddiya City is located at the heart of the Tuwaiq Mountains, about 40 minutes from the Saudi capital. The development’s economic model is rooted in experiential tourism, a growing segment in this market.
Its goal is to support Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification and development; this year alone, as its attractions begin to open, the project is expected to contribute SR2.5 billion to national GDP and provide 7,000 jobs. But the vision and the dream are bigger and wider than that.
Abdullah Nasser Al-Dawood, the managing director of Qiddiya Investment Company, set out the strategic importance of the development and its aggressive growth trajectory during a recent appearance on the “Fi Al Soura” television program. He described Qiddiya City as a long-term national development initiative driven by extensive market research and directives from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the chairman of its board of directors.
