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CAIRO: As many as 120 million people have attended entertainment events in Saudi Arabia since 2019, a Saudi official said, as the kingdom seeks to diversify its oil-dependent economy.
Turki Al Al Sheikh, Director General of Saudi Arabia’s National Entertainment Authority, added that this figure has been achieved despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic.
“From 2019 to date, 120 million visitors have been registered at events held by the public and private sectors licensed by the General Directorate of Entertainment. Do you recognize that number? This has been achieved despite the difficult COVID period,” Al Al Sheikh tweeted.
Established in 2016, the General Entertainment Directorate, in collaboration with private sector partners, has developed a series of events in different parts of Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh and Jeddah, to attract local and foreign audiences.
Saudi Arabia has been working to develop its entertainment industry in recent years, hosting a string of star-studded concerts, cinemas, theater performances and competitions.
Last October, Al Al Sheikh revealed that a major entertainment district would be launched in Riyadh as part of an aggressive effort by the kingdom under an ambitious economic reform program dubbed “Saudi Vision 2030”.
Called Boulevard World, the facility features the world’s largest man-made lake with a submarine and a superhero fan village.
“Imagine you visit the US, France, UK, Greece, India, China, Morocco, Japan, Mexico and Italy all at the same time,” he told Saudi television Al Ekhbariya at the time.
In April 2018, Saudi Arabia reopened cinemas for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Saudi Arabia aims to receive 25 million foreign tourists this year.
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