- Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambitions are “bigger than big”, according to CNN
- PIF’s Diriyah Project is central to the country’s economic strategy
- Supports national aim to attract 100 million visitors a year by 2030
Saudi Arabia only started welcoming foreign tourists in 2019, when e-visas became readily available – but its tourism journey is already going “bigger than big”, according to a feature by CNN Travel.
The country’s giga-projects are helping drive both Saudi Arabia’s aim to attract 100 million visitors a year by the end of the decade, and the nation’s wider Vision 2030 blueprint for economic transformation. The PIF-owned giga-projects include NEOM, which will feature revolutionary linear city THE LINE, and The Rea Sea tourism project.
Diriyah – PIF’s fifth and latest giga-project – was the focus of the CNN Travel story. The area, located in northwest Riyadh, showcases Saudi Arabia’s 300 years of history, and includes the UNESCO World Heritage Site of At-Turaif. Its goal is to welcome 27 million annual visitors by 2030, to a site crammed with historical and cultural attractions, CNN reported.
Diriyah “has huge significance for modern Saudi Arabia, both historically and culturally” and is “a key giga-project in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan,” the news channel reported.
Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of the Diriyah Company, told CNN: “We are committed to preserving and promoting the history and culture of the city, and we look forward to welcoming visitors from all over the world to bear witness to its beauty and be a part of the legacy it represents.”
Read the full CNN article here.
Other media coverage of PIF’s fifth giga-project Diriyah from Business Traveller, Forbes Middle East and Middle East Economy.
Content on third-party media sites does not necessarily represent the views of PIF, its portfolio companies, or affiliates.
