Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia is an extremely rich city, with not much to do there… yet.  It won’t be like that for long. 

In 2016, the Saudi government created the General Entertainment Authority (GEA). Headed by His Excellency (each head of different authorities has this title) Turki Alalshikh, they have opened a grandiose new theme park called Boulevard City recently as well as put Saudi soccer on the global stage by bringing in Ronaldo to play for a Saudi team. They have also introduced “Riyadh Season.” For “Riyadh Season,” Turki Alashikh has brought some of the biggest boxing fights to Saudi. Now, fighters only want to fight in Saudi Arabia, because of the very generous paychecks they receive, win or lose. Recently, the UFC have announced that they will have a fight night in Riyadh in February, marking the first non-boxing event to be held by “Riyadh Season.” The Saudis also created the General Tourism Authority in 2020, to focus on attracting tourists.

Saudi Arabia, much like other Middle Eastern countries, makes most of their profit from oil. The UAE (where Dubai is located), figured out that oil won’t last forever. They invested billions of dollars into tourism starting 20 years ago, and currently gain more profit from tourism than from oil. The Saudis, seeing this have also started ramping up their tourism; “Riyadh Season” is the perfect example. Although there aren’t many attractions for tourists to see, there is still definitely a lot to see. Sadly at the time I was there the Masmak fort, a famous old fort from the early days of Arab conquests was under renovation. However, the Saudi Arabia National Museum was very exciting. They have 6 main galleries showing the whole history of the land. They also have an extra gallery for rotating purposes. While we were there, they had a Christian Dior show.

Furthermore, everywhere in Saudi they are building new, modern buildings to match that of Dubai. They even have plans to build the world’s tallest building, the title of which is for now in Dubai. Many new and viral restaurants are opening branches in Riyadh as well. I have no doubt that in 20 years, Riyadh will be bustling with tourists. However, strict Sharia law may hold them back. Only recently did they allow women to drive. Alcohol is still completely illegal. In addition, all restaurants must serve only halal food. The U.A.E. (where Dubai is located), has had to ease its Islamic policy in order to attract more tourists. Alcohol is now legal in restaurants, clubs, and hotels, and they are even opening up a casino in 2026. Will Saudi make some sacrifices to attract tourism? I guess we will see.