Neom, a proposed futuristic mega-city in Saudi Arabia, announced on Sunday the inauguration of its “first physical showcase,” a posh Red Sea island with dining options, lodging options, and boat docks.
The island, known as Sindalah, is launching ahead of a significant investor gathering sometimes called “Davos in the Desert,” which will start in Riyadh on Tuesday, and amid ongoing concerns over Neom’s viability.
In a statement, chief executive Nadhmi al-Nasr stated, “With the opening of Sindalah, Neom is committed to supporting the Kingdom’s new era of luxury tourism.”
“Visitors can get a ‘first glimpse’ of what lies ahead for our vast portfolio of destinations and developments at Neom’s debut destination.” According to the release, Sindalah is “spread over 840,000 square meters” and is expected to host “up to 2,400 guests per day by 2028.”
The Line, a pair of mirror-encased towers that are 170-kilometers long and intended to continue inland from the ocean, is Neom’s most famous creation.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who unveiled The Line in 2022, predicted that by 2030, its population would surpass one million, and by 2045, it will have grown to nine million.
Earlier this year, Bloomberg revealed that, according to updated estimates, just 300,000 people would reside in The Line by the end of the decade, and that only 2.4 kilometers of the project would have been finished.
Alongside other significant development initiatives started as part of Vision 2030—Prince Mohammed’s attempt to prepare the largest crude exporter in the world for a post-oil future—work on Neom is moving forward.
The Gulf nation has ten years to construct the required stadiums and expand its hotel and transportation capabilities after winning the bid to host the 2034 football world cup last year.
Without naming which key projects, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan stated in December that officials had chosen to extend the timeline for some of them past 2030.
