The Wall Street Journal revealed a new report that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is spending $1 trillion to turn Saudi Arabia into a mass-market tourist destination. A nascent cruise sector, luxury Red Sea resorts and eco-lodges in the desert are all in the works.
MBS ‘wants to turn the once closed kingdom into one of the world’s most visited countries, and to achieve that goal he is spending about $1 trillion on resorts, a cruise industry and an airline,’ the report reads.
The proposed projects include an airport designed to look like a desert mirage, an island shaped like a dolphin with coral reef buildings, and an offshore oil platform converted into an amusement park with a slide and bungee jump.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia has become Shangri-La, a place to test architects’ wildest and craziest ideas.
The paper quoted the city planners as saying that the prince passionately engages in design briefings, listens to architects’ ideas and decides on small details such as hotel furniture and streetlamps.
Benz Kotzen, an associate professor at the school of design at London’s University of Greenwich, was quoted as saying that he was concerned about the potential environmental impact. But his biggest problem, he said, “To be perfectly honest, when I look at it, it’s pretty ugly.”
Expatriate Executives Flee Saudi Arabia’s Bad Bosses
In another report, WSJ said that the kingdom wants to attract the world’s best and brightest to futuristic projects such as Neom. But a difficult workplace culture is driving many away.
According to the report, two gigaprojects recently merged, three have lost their expatriate chief executives and all have turned over senior management. The American CEOs of a $10 billion financial district under construction in the capital city of Riyadh and a development company for 50 entertainment centers both also left. Neither responded to requests for comment.
Many have resigned or been fired since being poached from companies such as Walt Disney Co., Siemens AG and Marriott International. Some have forfeited contracts of more than $500,000 a year rather than work under Mr. Nasr, former employees said.
Saudi Arabia Lures Executives to Neom With Million-Dollar Salaries
Saudi Arabia’s mega-development Neom is paying senior executives roughly $1.1 million each annually, according to an internal Neom document, showing how the kingdom is using large pay packages to lure global talent to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s national transformation plan.
MBS Does not Share Saudis’ Dreams
As high inflation continues to rise, social media activists have questioned MBS’ ambitious dreams and extravagance spending on imaginary projects that do not meet the Saudis’ demands for dignity.
SaudiArabia needs to stop w/unreasonable #deathsentences! Three members of #Huwaitat tribe have not deserved this after their families had been forcibly displaced for the new #MBS pet #Neom megaproject. Unacceptable! #ShadlialHuwaiti #IbrahimalHuwaiti #AtaullahalHuwaiti
After forced eviction of dozens of families in Tabuk, #SaudiArabia #SCC sentences 3 men of the #Huwaitat tribe to death so that development of #MBS pet megaproject #NEOM can continue!! Disgusting trial of innocent people! #ShadlialHuwaiti #IbrahimalHuwaiti #AtaullahalHuwaiti
https://twitter.com/PhilipLance94/status/1582007482763051008
On October 2, 2022, #SCC, the Saudi court set up to handle terrorist cases, handed down death sentences for #ShadlialHuwaiti #IbrahimalHuwaiti #AtaullahalHuwaiti for refusing to be evicted from their homes and make way for the #MBS pet #Neom megaproject! Awful! #SaudiArabia
https://twitter.com/BeaRobertson14/status/1582004919451922434
