Remember Neom? In January of this year, Saudi Arabia moved forward on its plans to begin building a $500 billion city of that name, from scratch, in a desert called Ras Hameed.
It’s part of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s goal to foster a post-oil, Dubai-like tourism boom, which he calls “Saudi Vision 2030.” Last year, the Kingdom began issuing tourist visas, and over the next decade the Crown Prince wants to reach an astronomical 17 million annual visitors in certain Saudi cities.
Neom, if it gets off the ground, would help. It’s supposed to be a “sci-fi city” with more robots than humans, a bridge that crosses the Red Sea (connecting Saudi Arabia to Africa), and a riviera called Neom Bay. But Saudi Arabia’s hopes for the mega-city have hit some self-inflicted roadblocks recently. After the Saudi government assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, investors, advisors and architects began pulling out of the project. The Crown Prince himself said, “No one will invest for years.”
Apparently, the lesson learned here was not “stop silencing brave dissidents,” but “double down and plan yet another massive city.” Saudi Arabia is now seeking investment for their own Vegas, an entertainment capital built on race tracks, an off-roading zone and a Six Flags theme park. (It’s an unsurprising move for Six Flags: they’re opening eight parks in China by 2021, and seem committed to going global, no matter the controversies their host countries present.)
The city will be called Qiddiya, and it’s currently looking for backers in the form of joint ventures, land leasing and privatization. It will be just outside the capital of Riyadh (but far from Neom, which is in the northwestern part of the country) and will cover 128 square miles, which is about the size of Philadelphia.
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