Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Arab Disneyland and Da Vinci: Saudi Arabia’s two great hopes

Saudi Arabia tourism projects Dragon Ball theme park Reuters/Cover Images
The Dragon Ball theme park planned for the sports and entertainment city Qiddiya, billed as an Arabian Disneyland, which is at the heart of Saudi Arabia's tourism drive
  • Big draws needed to boost tourism
  • Qiddiya is $10bn amusement park
  • Salvator Mundi set for Diriyah

Saudi Arabia is spending billions on tourism projects at the heart of its grand plan to transform a once isolated kingdom into a global tourist destination. But a nagging question is haunting policymakers: will the world pay attention?  

Tourism numbers are rising, hitting 27.4 million in 2023, but half of those were religious visitors. 

The government is acutely aware that Mecca and Medina provide a solid base for tourism, but the country needs to do more in order to have the sector contribute 10 percent of GDP by 2030, as planned. 

A preponderance of Saudi tourism projects are aimed at the global super-rich, such as Neom, AlUla and the Red Sea Global resorts, and may struggle to attract high numbers. 

Saudi Arabia has also lined up some major events, including the Asian Winter Games in 2029, the World Expo in 2030 and the football World Cup in 2034, which are likely to prove popular. 

But to ensure a regular flow of visitors, Saudi Arabia has two great hopes: the sports and entertainment city Qiddiya, billed as an Arabian Disneyland, and the draw of the Salvator Mundi, a renowned painting of Jesus Christ attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, which is thought to be now in Saudi possession. 

“This will be a mass market destination, it’s not a luxury proposition, it’s access for all,” said a consultant to the project, which is under construction outside Riyadh, and has been valued at $9.8 billion. 

The development features roller-coaster rides by Six Flags, a leading US developer of adventure parks; a Dragon Ball theme park, billed as an anime offering; a World Cup sports stadium; a Formula 1 race track; an esports and gaming district; and a concert hall.

Planners are betting that regional, European and Asian tourists are close enough to make the trip to Qiddiya, with a special metro line taking them straight there from Riyadh airport. 

“They’ll get an immediate response from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, and then Asia and elsewhere. The bigger potential is persuading Western audiences and markets that Saudi should be on their map and it’s somewhere to go and have fun,” the consultant said.

Salvator Mundi MBSEamon O'Doherty/Stockimo
Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi hanging in Christie’s New York before its record-breaking auction in 2017

If that is not enough to attract big numbers of visitors, how about one of the world’s most famous Renaissance works? 

Salvator Mundi could be a game-changer in terms of tourism. Millions of people would travel far to see such a rare piece,” says a Gulf diplomat in Riyadh. “It’s all about return on investment, it’s the best half a billion dollars they [the Saudis] have spent on anything.” 

The masterpiece was bought in 2017 by a Saudi representative for a record $450 million at a Christie’s auction in New York. Since then, the painting has gone off the radar, provoking intense speculation about its final destination. 

Culture critics think it will be placed in an art museum planned for the Diriyah historical district of Riyadh, where an opera house is also under construction. 

Adeline Pilon, co-founder of the Paris-based Elyx Foundation, says the idea will be to link the painting to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his “success in spearheading a modern Arab Renaissance, positioning Riyadh and the kingdom on the global map for culture enthusiasts”.