Slated to become the world’s largest living museum, KSA’s Al Ula is expected to generate more than 67,000 jobs.
Reported by sister publication Arabian Business, the Royal Commission for Al Ula (RCU) estimates approximately half of those jobs will fall into the tourism sector.
Al Ula is one of the many developments in the Saudi Vision 2030, the framework plan for the site was revealed at the 10th UN World Urban Forum this week.
Visitors at the forum saw the vision for Al Ula through interactive displays.
RCU CEO Amr Al Madani said: “We chose the World Urban Forum as a credible global platform to engage with the world’s leading developers and sustainability experts and share our plans for the long-term, responsible development of Al Ula as world’s largest living museum.”
Al Madani added: “By combining heritage with nature, we are transforming the cultural landscape of Al Ula and establishing the county as a global tourism destination with a thriving economy and local community.”
He added that the Kingdom’s recent introduction of tourist visas has been instrumental to the country’s growth and developments such as Al Ula feed into this growth.
“Not only have we opened our doors to travellers benefiting from Saudi Arabia’s new tourist visas, we’ve also delivered the infrastructure that is central to growth.”
Eyed to become a living museum, Al Ula will become a global centre for culture, heritage, arts and eco-tourism. Al Madani said that Al Ula is “Saudi Arabia’s gift to the world.”
Located 1,100km from Riyadh in north-west Saudi Arabia, Al Ula comprises an oasis valley, sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years.
Arabian Business noted the site is targeting to host two million visitors by 2035.
