Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia is all set to launch the largest entertainment and cultural event in all of Saudi history.
This massive event, the Riyadh Season, is part of 11 events that together make up the Saudi Seasons initiative. It is in fact planned to be the most spectacular of all 11 events
The Riyadh Season has already started and offers over a 100 fun-filled activities for locals and tourists alike. The purpose of these festivities is to give visitors a chance to view Saudi Arabia differently and more openly, as the modern country it is slowly turning into.
The Riyadh Season is built on the Saudi Vision 2030 goal of ensuring that the entertainment industry is a massive feature of the Saudi national economy.
The Riyadh Season is expected to continue all the way into mid-December 2019. It provides major opportunities for both local residents as well as tourists to enjoy top quality entertainment in a country that was up till now pretty much closed up from the realms of tourism and entertainment.
These activities are spread out across 12 entertainment zones spread all across the city.
The Riyadh Season is meant to be conducted under the supervision of the President of the Riyadh Season and the Chairman of General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al-Sheikh.
Riyadh Season is designed to attract over five million visitors to the capital of the Middle East’s largest economy. The purpose is to rebrand the kingdom as an attractive tourist destination for people world over.
The recent change in the visa policy to the kingdom has allowed citizens of over 51 countries to easily obtain a visa to the kingdom.
This change in policy in itself has significantly increased the number of tourists wanting to visit Saudi Arabia in recent times. In fact, approximately 40,000 hotel rooms have already been booked, well in advance of the event.
According to the Head of Riyadh Season and the CEO of GEA, Faisal Basarat, “Riyadh Season is not just an event, it is a blockbuster initiative to truly introduce Riyadh and Saudi Arabia to the world and put the spotlight on its rich heritage, culture and diversity.”
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia houses more than 33 million people. This includes 9 million in Riyadh and the nearby provinces alone. With an increasing population, there is greater demand for more entertainment related activities.
Riyadh Season will contribute directly in creating over 46,000 jobs. These include full-time work, volunteer work and even seasonal work.
This massive event also provides exciting chances for Saudi businesses to flourish. 100’s of local businesses are meant to participate actively in the event, making up approximately half of the overall vendors.
The Kingdom’s most massive entertainment event to date has already received sponsorships amounting to over 400 million Saudi Riyal. This figure is greater than any entertainment or sports-related event the kingdom has been able to garner in the past.
This amount is expected to reach one billion Saudi Riyal, during the 66 days that the event lasts. This is evidence of the larger-than-life economic impact the event will have on the economy of the kingdom.
