RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has experienced an “avalanche” of opportunities in the entertainment and tourism sectors in recent years, an industry leader told the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Ben Elliot, founder of the luxury services company Quintessentially, said the developments in dining, hospitality and cultural tourism offer a wealth of new entertainment options for Saudis and foreign visitors alike.
“You’ve seen an avalanche, in the last five years, of opportunities for people not just in Saudi but people traveling to Saudi,” he said during a panel discussion.
The British businessman, a former co-chair of the Conservative Party, highlighted Sindalah, a luxury island resort that opened on Sunday and is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s flagship NEOM megacity project, as a prime example of the new hospitality offerings in the Kingdom.
“That — if we’re sitting here, God willing, in three years time — will be an extraordinary holiday destination for all manner of people, not just people from Saudi,” said Elliot.
He also praised AlUla as another of the country’s key tourism destinations. The ancient city, with its characteristic ornate rock carvings and rock dwellings, dates back about 2,000 years ago to the days of the Nabataean Kingdom. It opened up to international tourists to an unprecedented level when Saudi Arabia introduced its first tourist visa system in 2019.
“It’s amazing,” said Elliot. “But we wouldn’t have had any of these conversations three or four years ago; none of it was opened up. So I think everything is changing very fast. The key thing is to make sure that everything is done fastidiously well, not to rush some of those things.”
Hollywood TV producer Brent Montgomery, the CEO of Wheelhouse Entertainment who, among other achievements, is credited with creating the hit reality TV series “Pawn Stars,” was also a member of the panel.
He said he sees real potential for the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia, as an increasingly interconnected world presents new opportunities for the development of content in regions other than North America.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity to show and experience this region in non-fiction,” he added.
“I think the region is so serious about content … Because of Netflix and these other global platforms, you’ve seen creators, whether they be in front of the camera or behind the camera, making content that goes global.
“It used to be that when many of us TV producers would make a show in one region, it would take two or three years to hit other regions. Now, these programs hit immediately and I think people want to see it in other places.”
