Saudi Begins Developing Towns as More Affordable Tourism Spots


Skift Take

Yanbu is being developed as a new leisure destination, offering prices well below those expected at the giga-projects.

Saudi Arabia is now developing towns with stays below the five-star price range.

"For a lot of people from the outside, it may look expensive in Saudi Arabia, but you can already afford it," said Stefano Lopez, senior product director at Baheej Group.

Baheej is a Saudi developer specifically building up Saudi towns and communities for mid-market tourism and leisure. It is already working on a destination called Yanbu, a coastal port city around two and half hours from Medina.

Baheej is partly owned by the Public Investment Fund, Saudi's sovereign wealth fund also buildi