Market Opportunities

In a bold stride towards realising an ambitious vision, Saudi Arabia has commenced the colossal task of reshaping its landscape for Neom, a US$500 billion smart city project. Earth is being moved and mountains are tunnelled to construct a futuristic linear city, The Line, which is a central element of this initiative. With an aim to welcome its first residents by 2024, this groundbreaking project, announced in 2017, forms a crucial part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Neom is set to include diverse components like Trojena, Oxagon, Sindalah, and Leyja, each contributing uniquely to this transformative endeavour. Hotelier Middle East looks at what’s happening with Saudi’s monumental giga projects that are expected to infuse the tourism landscape in the region with a new dynamic.

As part of the ambitious NEOM development, THE LINE is a revolutionary vertical city concept that will house a car-free, linear urban development of hyper-connected AI-enabled communities powered by 100% clean energy.

The city, which spans 170 kilometers and is barely 200 meters wide, is being built in the kingdom's northwest Tabuk region and features a striking mirrored exterior. This initiative attempts to construct communities oriented on human well-being, with an emphasis on decreasing infrastructure by promoting walkability, sustainability, and technological integration. THE LINE will be totally free of automobiles and roadways, with inhabitants having access to nature and all of their daily requirements within a five-minute walk. To be finished by 2030.

NEOM’s Oxagon will become the world’s largest floating structure with a 48 kilometers squared core development area. The city will become a hub for innovation, trade, and advanced and clean technologies.

The port city's concept has been planned by Danish studio BIG as an octagonal form constructed partly on land and mostly in the sea, located in the Red Sea just south of the Suez Canal. The city will become a center for innovation, trade, and advanced and clean technology, accelerating the kingdom's Vision 2030 aspirations. Its state-of-the-art factories, development and production facilities, and logistics-related sites, all powered by 100 percent sustainable energy, will revolutionize global manufacturing as a logistics hub for both NEOM and the rest of the globe. It will house the world's first totally integrated physical and digital port and supply chain ecosystem, allowing for unequaled connection to global markets while also offering mostly beachfront housing for 90,000 inhabitants.

Led by the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, the project is part of the Public Investment Fund’s Vision 2030 initiative which aims to bring in 27 million visitors by 2030. It aims to revitalize Diriyah, a UNESCO World legacy site, as Saudi Arabia's future cultural center by preserving its legacy while incorporating exciting modern aspects. The concept will offer several new museums, hotels, retail spaces, entertainment facilities, and residential living approximately 20 minutes from Riyadh's city center, showcasing almost 300 years of Saudi Arabian history. At the core of the development lies the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the At-Turaif District, a mud-brick city that served as the first capital of the Saudi Dynasty.

Led by Red Sea Global and forming part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program, AMAALA is set for completion in 2027.Foster + Partners is constructing a mirage-inspired airport as well as a coral-inspired marine life center, while John Heah is blending Islamic architecture with luxury modern design for a resort for spa-clinic brand Clinique La Prairie. Within the Crown Prince's Natural Reserve, the holistic development project will present a health destination inspired by the arts, self-transformation, and the purity of the Red Sea. While protecting the region's pristine natural riches, it will include luxury resorts from internationally famous hotel brands, art galleries, performance venues, an arts academy, and over 800 residential amenities.

This recreational megaproject, part of the Saudi Vision 2030 ambition, would become the world's largest entertainment metropolis, encompassing 376 square kilometers.

Dewan Architects + Engineers from the Middle East has been recruited as the destination's principal design consultant, including the conceptualization of its flagship project, the Qiddiya Water Theme Park Qiddiya, located 45 kilometers southwest of Riyadh, will contain a variety of prominent tourism attractions, including amusement parks, sports stadiums, and cultural institutions. While work began in 2019, the arena is scheduled to open to the public in 2023.