Riyadh leisure tourism growth trajectory boom

Article posted by Coliseum, June 5^th, 2025

Image: Qiddiya

Contractors have submitted bids for the contract to build the performing arts center at the Qiddiya Entertainment City in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).

The above is part of Riyadh’s leisure tourism strategy which has registered an impressive growth in recent years.

‘MEED’ stated that the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) understands that the firms submitted the stage two bids on May 22^nd.

The Qiddiya Entertainment City is a mega project in Saudi Arabia envisioned as the country’s capital of entertainment, sports and culture. Located near Riyadh it aims to diversify the Saudi economy and improve the quality of life for the residents aligning with the Saudi Vision 2030. The City will feature a variety of themed parks, attractions and sports venues including a Six Flags Qiddiya City (a planned theme park), a Formula One (the highest class of open-wheel, single-seater formula racing cars) racetrack and a waterpark. It’s designed to attract millions of visitors and create jobs in the new sectors.

The Saudi Vision 2030 is a Government program launched by Saudi Arabia which aims to achieve the goal of increased diversification economically, socially and culturally in line with the vision of the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. It was first announced on April 25^th, 2016 by the Saudi Government.

The Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) is a media publishing company founded in 1957 focused on economic and business news related to the Middle East. The MEED also provides advertising and marketing services.

‘MEED’ further stated that the gigaproject developer – the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) – issued the tender in September last year.

Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)-based the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) is developing Qiddiya City, the capital of Entertainment, Sports and Culture. As part of Vision 2030 Qiddiya aims to create a world-class destination, boosting the entertainment sector, the quality of life, and tourism in Saudi Arabia. With 360+ km2 of land Southwest of Riyadh the Qiddiya City will offer family-friendly theme parks, sports venues, concert halls, racetracks, outdoor activities, and cultural experiences.

The center will have over 3,000 seats across three theaters. It will also include a cantilevered amphitheater overlooking Qiddiya City’s lower plateau with a 500-seat venue suspended from above.

The firms had submitted the first-stage bids late last year.

In June 2024 the QIC had appointed the Dubai-based Brewer Smith Brewer Gulf and the US-headquartered Tom Wiscombe Architecture as the project’s lead designers.

The Brewer Smith Brewer Gulf (BSBG) is a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based company. It is engaged in the engineering sector. The company provides architectural, engineering consultancy and interior design services.

Tom Wiscombe is an American architect based in Los Angeles, California (US). He is the Principal and Founder of Tom Wiscombe Architecture. Consisting primarily of unbuilt projects Wiscombe’s work is known for its massing, graphic qualities and inventiveness all informed by the contemporary ecological thought.

The Qiddiya City performing arts center is one of several major projects within the greater Qiddiya development. The other projects include an e-games arena, the 46,979-capacity Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a motorsports track, the Dragon Ball and Six Flags theme parks, and the Aquarabia (water theme park).

The QIC has achieved key construction milestones on several schemes in the execution phase of the gigaproject. It plans to inaugurate the Six Flags theme park and the Aquarabia water park by the end of this year.

According to local media reports the construction works have reached advanced stages and the projects will be opened in 2025.

An update posted on the QIC’s website stated that construction on the Six Flags theme park and the Aquarabia water park had reached 89 percent and 84 percent, respectively.

In February the QIC officially appointed the US-based Six Flags Entertainment Corporation as the operator for the Six Flags theme park and the Aquarabia water park.

Charlotte (US)-based the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is North America’s largest regional amusement-resort operator with 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks and nine resort properties across 17 States in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Focused on its purpose of making people happy the Six Flags provides fun, immersive and memorable experiences to the millions of guests every year with world-class coasters, themed rides, thrilling water parks, and resorts.

The project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the Kingdom. According to GlobalData, leisure tourism in Saudi Arabia has experienced significant growth in recent years. The domestic leisure tourism trips have increased to 33.76 million in 2023 from 16.74 million in 2018. The international tourist arrivals for recreational purposes have increased by 600 percent from 2018 to 2023.

The GlobalData Plc is a data analytics and consulting company headquartered in London, England (UK). The company was established in 1999 and, under different names, has been listed on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market since 2000.

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