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PRINCE SALMAN BIN ABDUL AZIZ AL
SAUD
Governor of Riyadh |
ABDULLATIF BIN ABDUL MALIK AL SHAIKH
President of Arriyadh Development Authority |
“Every
government has a responsibility to provide
services to its people. I do not believe
in making unreasonable promises but at the
same time I do aspire to always achieve
more than is promised,” says Prince
Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Governor
of Riyadh. At the reigns of the kingdom’s
capital city and its surrounding region,
Prince Salman wants to build on the extraordinary
progress the country has made since it was
founded.
The city’s
economy has been growing steadily and fast,
with growth rates at around 8%. Government
priorities are to improve infrastructure
and to deal with social issues such as unemployment.
“We have developed programs to help
improve our city in all aspects, now and
for the future,” says the governor.
Prince Salman
is also the Chairman of the High
Commission for the Development of Arriyadh,
which plans such programs. The Arriyadh
Development Authority then puts them into
action. Current projects include the Riyadh
Metropolitan Development Strategy, now at
the implementation stage, and Thumamah Park,
an ambitious idea for an entertainment destination
around the size of Disney World.
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New theme park
expects to attract substantial investment
and three miliion visitors a year
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“Our vision
is to create a recreational park that respects
the natural aspect of the location because
of the magnificent escarpments and the majestic
sand dunes surrounding it,” says President
of Arriyadh Development Authority Abdullatif
bin Abdul Malik Al Shaikh. The development
will contain desert campsites and centers
for sporting activities, including an aviation
club and a racetrack. “We expect about
three million visitors to the park in the
first year,” says Mr. Al Shaikh. First,
however, he is extending the invitation
to investors to provide some of the $700
million that the project will need.
To prove the
importance of the authority as a partner,
its president urges investors to look at
their former projects, which have been crucial
in maintaining Riyadh’s position as
the political, business and economic center
of Saudi Arabia.
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