Inspired by the country’s oil and gas heritage, Saudi Arabia will soon be opening The Rig, adventure tourism destination on an offshore platform in the Arabian Gulf. The platform will be built by an actual oil company and will span over 300,000 square metres. Located 40 kilometres from the coastline, the new addition to Saudi Arabia’s tourism scene is projected to attract around 900,000 annual visitors by 2032.
The rig, a entertainment project by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), will be built by the Oil Park Development Company. The construction was announced a couple of year ago but now the masterplan for the tourist hub has been revealed. Some major adaptations were made since the announcement of the initial project, including the surface of the rig going from 150,000 to 300,000 square metres.
In total, the platform will count no less than three hotels, totalling 800 rooms with seaviews, eleven restaurants, a marina, an extreme sports & adventure park, an immersive theatre and several helipads. At the water park, visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of activities, going from splash pools to diving and everything in between. On ‘land’, activities such as bungee, board and base jumping are among the possibilities.
With its location in the Arabian Gulf, next to the Al Juraid Island and the Berri Oil Field, the Rig identifies itself as a luxury holiday resort. It is said to redefine sea sports and leisure experiences while celebrating Saudi’s rich oil and gas heritage. Vistors will be able to arrive on the Rig by ferry, yacht, cruise or helicopter. As far as opening dates, prices or reservations go, no official announcements have been made so far.
Budgetwise, a report published by energy-focused publication Upstream in 2022, mentions the project will be costing around 5 billion dollars. The Rig is part of Crown Prince and de facto ruler of the country, Mohammed bin Salman’s “Vision 2030”, a plan to diversify the country’s economy from oil by attracting business and tourism. Among other endeavours of the Saudi Vision, the country launched a new national airline in March 2023, Riyadh Air, with the ambition of tripling its air traffic to 330 million passengers by the end of the decade. Riyadh is also being transformed with several mega projects, all due for completion by 2030, when the capital will be showcasing the fruit of the Vision at the World Expo 2030.
