Featured Image Credit: Public Investment Fund
Topics: Money, Travel, World News, Saudi Arabia
Joshua Nair
Topics: Money, Travel, World News, Saudi Arabia
We're more than aware of what certain countries in the Middle East are capable of when they want to produce a spectacle.
Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Dubai has become THE holiday destination for Brits, and Abu Dhabi is home to some of the coolest attractions in the world.
With warm weather and bucket-loads of money to spend on developing the area, it's understandable how the region has become such a hotspot in the past few years.
But there is one country that is slowly building its way up with its audacious plans for the future to fully establish itself as another Arabian destination for tourists.
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They have previously announced a $500 billion (£400 billion) plan to build a 110-mile long city that is just 0.1 miles wide, with no cars or vehicles, that goes into the desert, and are currently constructing a skyscraper that will overtake the UAE's Burj Khalifa as the tallest building in the world.
The country in question is Saudi Arabia, and absolutely no-one was surprised when they announced that they planned to construct the world's most unique tourist attraction.
Named 'The Rig', it will be built on an old oil rig off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, 25 miles from the shoreline.
Originally announced in 2021, the project that is estimated to cost over £4 billion will be funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
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The aim of this project is to 'celebrate the legacy and heritage of Saudi Arabia’s long oil and gas history', which is fair because the country is known for its oil and gas production.
But that's not what's going to get tourists through the door, with its many planned attractions and features instead grabbing the headlines.
Plans are in place for there to be 1.6 million square feet of space, three on-site hotels, 800 rooms, 11 restaurants, 70+ attractions and activities, a predicted 10,000 guests a day and even a marina with room for 50 boats.
Oh, and a helipad, as you do.
The Rig will also have one of the biggest and most exciting rollercoasters in the world, which will be the centre of the park's focus.
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There will be a number of world-class facilities, and people will only be able to visit by cruise ship, ferry, plane, or helicopter.
Construction is well and underway, with Saudi Arabia’s Oil Park Development Company in charge of developing the area.
Activities like jet-skiing, bungee jumping and skydiving are set to be available, with plans for submersibles not off the table too.
Prices still haven't been announced, but you'd assume that it wouldn't be too cheap, especially with this description on the official site: "The world’s first tourism destination on an offshore platform inspired by the design of offshore oil platforms.
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"This is no theme park – it’s an extreme destination, an entirely new playground for adventure tourism. The true scale of adventure."
The development company's CEO, Raed Bakhrji also spoke about the project: "The Rig draws its inspiration from Vision 2030 and its initiatives to develop the tourism sector, and it is expected to be one of the leading adventure tourism destinations aiming to attract more than 900,000 visitors annually by 2032."
A number of the world's most famous designers have also been approached to help with the aesthetics of the hotel room, trying to balance the idea of being on a oil rig with luxury.
There are plans to have fine-dining restaurants hundreds of metres in the sky, while a plan for a large capacity stadium to host music acts is also in the works at The Rig.
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It really could be one of the most exciting theme parks in the world, so watch this space!