The first batch of students under the “NEOM Scholarship Program ending in employment” will embark on their educational journey earlier this week.  The 15-member batch, including six girls, will set out to the United States, to pursue their studies in several specializations including tourism, hospitality, archeology and heritage.

They were picked from among more than 300 students who had applied for the first phase of the scholarship program. This is within the program launched by the NEOM Company, which has a plan to send 250 most talented male and female students from the local community over the coming five years.  NEOM Co. has chosen these students from the regions of NEOM, Duba and Haql through a registration and admission process that started in July 2019.

So we've been travelling around ths last few weeks talking to people involved in NEOM and trying to get in to the construction area itself to get some photos and maybe an interview. Not possible.

We are back next week so will keep updating you with NEOM news and work on getting the directory launched. There's been a lot of interest from all over the world - some large companies as well!

See you all soon

The NEOM News team

A major step in getting NEOM ready for launch.  

The new airport serving Saudi Arabia’s planned $500 billion mega-city NEOM has been classified as a commercial hub by the aviation industry body International Air Transport Association.

“Iata announces NEOM Bay Airport is now officially a commercial airport with over 2,500 passenger boardings each calendar year,” Saudi Projects said on Twitter.

Saudi Arabia said it will start building the first residential area in a proposed $500 billion futuristic city that’s become a symbol of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitions for life after oil.

Critics have questioned the mega-project after previous efforts to build industrial and financial cities have struggled to take off. Construction of the $10 billion King Abdullah Financial District in north Riyadh began in 2006 but the 73-building hub remains unfinished.

NEOM airport welcomed its first Saudi Arabian Airlines flight Thursday with 130 passengers on board, the Saudi Press Agency reported. NEOM, a $500 billion megacity in the Kingdom’s northwest, is a key part of Saudi Arabia’s vision to diversify its economy.  Passengers traveled to NEOM on two Airbus A320 planes to familiarise themselves with the area as they are working on the project.

Rumours suggest the NEOM project is being pushed on to the backburner as the crisis caused by Khashoggi’s murder jeopardises the kingdom’s ability to attract the financing and high-tech skills needed for it and other developments.  Since the Saudi journalist’s killing, advisers to NEOM including the architect Norman Foster have distanced themselves from the project, underscoring the political and reputational risk attached to being associated with the crown prince.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has announced the launch of Wadi Al Disah Development (valley of palm trees), on the southwest Tabuk region of the Kingdom.

The mega sustainable project will also be situated to the northwest of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Natural Reserve, and is said to become a major tourism location, preserving environment and wildlife, reported the official statement.

Saudi’s PIF said that it will establish a company to develop the project according to international practices regarding environmental conservation and sustainable development. The new company will work towards creating sustainable tourism and related job opportunities, to support the Kingdom’s economic diversification.

An Indian delegation is due to visit Saudi Arabia on 26-27 November, 2018 as the Asian superpower seeks work for its local companies on the $500bn (SAR1.9tn) NEOM, Red Sea Tourism, and Qiddiya entertainment megaprojects.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs is overseeing the delegation’s visit through its Economic Diplomacy division, with officials from Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) leading the event. Indian companies from the infrastructure and housing sectors are due to be in Riyadh for the two-day trip, with TPCI expecting them to “benefit from business contracts and investment opportunities that are opening in Saudi Arabia”.