Since the inception of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has placed arts and culture at the heart of its developments, from dedicated culture projects to integrated assets within giga projects. The Kingdom is now moving from strategy to execution. Cultural offerings including exhibitions, fashion weeks, music festivals, theater plays, and cultural seasons are in full swing across the Kingdom and attracting crowds.
Having opened so many new possibilities for the arts and culture, the country needs to build out additional infrastructure and the required ecosystem that will sustain the planned growth of these offerings. That means building venues that span the entire value chain, from creation to production and exhibition as well as talent development. Those facilities include academies, incubators, studios, museums, and theaters.
Our research suggests that projects for up to almost 150 cultural facilities representing US$70-80 billion by 2030 are already in the pipeline, at different development stages. About US$7-10 billion of this investment has been spent to date, we estimate. For large-scale projects in which culture is central, such as Diriyah Gate Cultural District, King Salman Park with its iconic Royal Arts Complex, Jeddah Central Development, the Red Sea Project, and Al Ula Development, cultural investments range from 10%-30% of total project budget, our research suggests.
The overarching goal of these projects is to position Saudi Arabia as a global cultural hub, diversifying the economy and boosting tourism. Cultural investments are intended to contribute revenues of about $20 billion and create more than 100,000 jobs in the sector by 2030. More direct spending on culture will bring with it indirect spending on hospitality, retail, and food and beverage, among others, and increase the value of land and real estate in and around cultural districts.
While this is a significant opportunity to develop truly impactful venues that empower the creatives, engage the community, and serve as enablers for the growing cultural ecosystem, success factors need to be in place to reap the benefits of this investment. Here we identify some of the most important ones:
Other elements that will need to be in place include talent training programs for the workforce required to operate the venues; a calendar of events that activate districts and assets all year long, ensuring a constant flow of both visitors and tourists; strategic and operational partnerships that help the projects achieve their scale ambitions and fast-tracked execution timelines; and guidelines for cultural activations tailored to different regions, to ensure consistency, quality, safety, and alignment with broader cultural, social, environmental, and urban objectives among stakeholders.
Much has been achieved in a short time in the Kingdom’s cultural opening. Much more can and needs to be done to ensure that the renaissance takes root and brings tangible impact. The new building phase that is necessary to ensure lasting impact is already underway. If well managed and successful, this transformation will increase the quality of life for residents, raise Saudi Arabia’s appeal to tourists, and turn culture into one of the Kingdom’s economic pillars.
This article originally appeared in Arab News, November, 2024.
Contact us
Menu