GCC-Japan discuss free trade, economic cooperation

GCC-Japan discuss free trade, economic cooperation

Next edition of Riyadh Season could attract up to 12m visitors, says Saudi entertainment chief

RIYADH: The fourth edition of Saudi Arabia’s wildly popular Riyadh Season could see as many as 12 million visitors, the head of Kingdom’s entertainment authority said on Thursday.

“We expect 10 million to 12 million visitors this year, and we target more than a million tourists from outside the Kingdom,” Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority, told a press briefing in Riyadh.

 “The Riyadh Season, in its fourth edition, has achieved 40% of its targeted revenue through sponsorship and some large deals even before it’s started,” he said,  

This year’s Riyadh Season, which is set to launch on Oct. 28, will be historic, Sheikh promised.

‘An unprecedented, historical opening ceremony that the world has never seen before,’ he said.

The entertainment festival launched for the first time in 2019 and attracted over 7 million visitors.

Last year, over 15 million people attended the festival, including over 1 million tourists from 125 countries.

The festival generated over 150,000 direct and indirect jobs with the participation of 1,255 companies.

The 2022 Riyadh Season included over 7,500 events, 10 international exhibitions, more than 350 theatrical performances, in addition to