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Saudi Arabia plans to open the first part of the Neom megacity by the end of the year.
Shindara Island will be the first physical glimpse of the ambitious desert project, which has reportedly been scaled back from its original plans due to financial difficulties.
developer says They want the island to be a “special gateway to the beautiful Red Sea,” adding that they plan to cater to a high-end clientele and a global yachting community.
Neom recently concluded an investor roadshow in China, confirming that more luxury island resorts will be built in the future. Arab News reported that it will open this year.. It will include three luxury hotels, a golf course and sports club, a beach club, a marina, and dozens of restaurants and shops.
in January Marriott International announced that it has signed an agreement to bring Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy to Shindara. Hotel operator Chady Hauch said the concept was a “perfect fit” for the island and reflected the “increasing demand for premium, luxury apartment-style accommodation” from travelers.
The following month, Saudi music entertainment company MDLBEAST announced it would operate Shindara Beach Club on the island.
Mr. Vives, Neom’s head of urban planning and island planning, said: said in press release Shindara said it would become a “new model for luxury travel and living.”
Capturing the luxury tourism market
The Saudi government’s focus on the luxury goods market is aimed at differentiating itself from neighboring Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates.
“Dubai is targeting a mass market of people who want to go and have fun in the winter,” Christian Coates Ulriksen, a Middle East researcher at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, told Business Insider.
“Saudis are increasingly pushing towards the high-end luxury goods market, and Shindara and some of the other Red Sea projects are trying to cater to that to some extent,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has not been shy about its tourism aspirations and claims it aims to attract bilateral ties. 100 million and 150 million visitors by 2030.
But Dubai is a formidable competitor. It already has a 20-year head start in the tourism competition, both in terms of infrastructure and ambitious attractions. It is also served by Emirates, a popular long-haul airline with tens of millions of people passing through Dubai each year.
If Neom’s ambitious plans become reality, Saudi Arabia is betting its megaproject will attract high-end tourists from neighboring countries.
manage your ambitions
Developing luxury resorts like Shindara could also help Saudi Arabia start small and boost tourism faster.
Syndara is one of the most realistic elements of Neom’s future plans. It pales in comparison to structures like the mirrored “horizontal skyscraper” known as The Line.
“It’s not very ambitious in scope or scale,” Ulriksen said. So it might be more realistic to open it first.
Recent reports indicate that Saudi Arabia may be facing a harsh reality when it comes to funding some of the mega-projects in Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans. vision 2030 project.
Previous deadlines for some of Neom’s more ambitious projects have already been pushed back.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that the Gulf kingdom had lowered its estimate of the number of people expected to be infected. live on the line.
The report said it sheds light on some of the trillions of dollars in investments included in the plan. vision 2030 project This was beginning to cause alarm at the highest levels of government.
Neom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.