Saudi Arabia has set itself a host of lofty targets to reach by 2030, including for the oil producing giant to see tourism contribute 10% to the country's GDP.  The kingdom’s strategy, which will forge a key part in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, aims for tourism to be the second largest contributor to GDP after oil and gas by 2030 – increasing to 10 percent from 3.6 percent today.

Mahmoud Abdulhadi, deputy minister, Investment Attraction, Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia referred to the $500 billion-plus, which is being spent on massive projects such as the Red Sea Development, Qiddiya, Diriyah, AlUla and NEOM, which are set to revolutionise the kingdom’s tourism offering to the national and international audience.

Marin County, California could face critically low water supplies next summer, with its reservoirs depleted, if the state sees another dry winter amid already dire drought conditions.   To prepare for the worst, Marin Municipal Water District is exploring leasing or purchasing desalination plants, said Emma Detwiler, a spokesperson for the agency.

In its search for equipment, the district is reportedly competing with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. The prince is also on the hunt for a desalination plant for his $500 billion mega-city NEOM, which is currently under construction, the Marin Independent Journal first reported.

The government of Saudi Arabia has accelerated the pace of work in implementing projects at NEOM, a city of the future on the Red Sea coast with total investments amounting to $500 billion.

“The procedures are under way to invite bids to build residential cities dedicated for a total of 100,000 project workers. The government plans to offer five to 10 bids during the period of the coming six months,” the government sources said while noting that each city will have the capacity to accommodate around 10,000 workers.  Two Saudi companies — Al-Tamimi Group and Saudi Arabian Trading & Construction Co. (SATCO) — have won contracts for the construction of the complexes. Al-Tamimi Group is building two residential areas inside the village with a housing capacity of 10,000 residents each, while SATCO will build a third one with the same capacity.

A futuristic city in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Province is a promising destination for sustainability, and technology. Called NEOM, meaning new future, it is a forward-thinking city that is supposedly nothing like the world has ever seen before. It is being called a revolution in urban living, with an immense potential for tourism. The city is going to be completely powered by renewable energy sources.

NEOM has concluded a four-day meeting to which 150 representatives of local and international companies concerned with design and construction took part.  The meeting included an introductory session by NEOM aimed at demonstrating to the participants its ambitious vision and plans that support Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and the ambitious direction of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin towards building a better future.

The meeting also included a tour of NEOM Logistics Complex, which includes various facilities that can accommodate 30,000 workers, in addition to offices, warehouses and service centers, built on an area of 12 square kilometers making it one of the largest temporary logistics complexes in the world.

Saudi Arabia's futuristic $500-billion new city NEOM played host to nearly 150 design and construction companies who visited the project site over the last four days and held discussions with its top officials on future collaboration.
 
The meeting included an introductory session by NEOM aimed at demonstrating to the participants its ambitious vision and plans that support Vision 2030, and the ambitious direction of HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, towards building a better future.
 
NEOM is currently seeking contractors and investors for the giga project, which is located in northwest of Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea coast.  There was particular interest in NEOM's focus on innovation, Chief Projects Officer Brett Smyth noted.  “We are serious about building NEOM in a completely different way and are steering the industry toward technological advancement, greater innovation, and efficiency,” he added.

Ayman Sejiny, CEO of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), which is affiliated with the Islamic Bank, said that the corporation was looking to provide financing and credit facilities, including Sukuk, for major Saudi projects such as NEOM and the Red Sea.   

Sejiny stated that the Saudi government was the largest supporter of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector.  The CEO of ICD revealed that the Corporation aims to finance major projects in the Kingdom, especially new projects such as NEOM and the Red Sea.

ACWA Power, the energy producer backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, sees big opportunities in the hydrogen market but the company isn’t planning to add another hydrogen project to its portfolio for some time until its venture with NEOM and Air Products is at an advanced level, its CEO said.

Air Products, in conjunction with ACWA Power and NEOM, signed an agreement last year for a $5 billion venture to produce 650 tons per day of green hydrogen by heating water using renewable energy, as well as 1.2 million tons per year of green ammonia for exporting the hydrogen to the global market. The project, which will be built in NEOM, is scheduled to be onstream in 2025.