It's a resounding victory. Riyadh will host the 2030 World Expo, announced the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) on Tuesday, November 28. The Saudi capital received 119 votes, against 29 for Busan (South Korea) and 17 for Rome, easily obtaining more than two-thirds of the 165 votes required.
Since Sunday, when the BIE vote took place in Paris, Saudi Arabia has been pulling out all the stops. For four days, the country rented the Pavillon Vendôme, located on the chic Parisian square of the same name, to promote itself. Visitors were offered mint tea, fresh dates and jars of honey as they wandered among dozens of Saudis wearing the red and white checkered shemagh scarf. On the walls, giant screens displayed spectacular films of deserts, mountains, camels and oases.
Can the Wahhabi kingdom become a tourist destination like any other? In any case, that is its ambition. The kingdom is banking on the development of this industry. The aim is to lay the foundations for a new post-oil economy and "diversify wealth by exploiting a sector that is still underdeveloped," explained the cultural attaché at the Saudi Arabian embassy in France. "For Saudi Arabia, tourism is one of the levers for becoming a desirable country," noted Stéphane Durand, a tourism consultant.
The figures are staggering. The country has invested $800 billion (€730 billion) in the tourism sector, while "400,000 hotel rooms will soon be available, 70% of which will be financed by private funds," according to the Saudi Tourism Authority. All the major hotel groups are positioning themselves in this market, particularly in AlUla, a tourist hub being developed in the middle of the desert, close to a Nabataean archaeological site.
Luxury hotel projects are increasing. Marriott plans to open a 250-room hotel in 2025, "with four restaurants, a spa, a swimming pool, a fitness center, meeting rooms and a business center." French business interests are well represented, thanks to l'Agence Française pour le Développement d’Al-Ula (the French Agency for the Development of Al-Ula), a discreet structure created by decree in 2018 and chaired by former minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Its mission is to help Saudi Arabia attract 2 million visitors a year to the area – compared to around 250,000 today – and to promote French tourism expertise.
Perhaps the most emblematic project is the Sharaan, a hotel designed by star architect Jean Nouvel. It includes about 40 rooms and villas built into the cliffside, as well as a conference center. It's a lavish undertaking: "A unique glass elevator will connect the resort with a geologic and artistic experience, offering views of ancient sedimentary layers and niches filled with art and engravings," explained the Royal Commission for AlUla.
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