Qiddiya to seek global designers for 10 most ‘iconic’ structures

The ten most "iconic" structures in Qiddiya, Saudi Arabia's upcoming mega entertainment city, are expected to be designed by international companies, an advisory board member of Qiddiya Investment Company said.

"I can speak on Qiddiya where the plan is for the ten most important structures on Qiddiya will go out for international design tender, seeking the best and most iconic designs," Alex Kyriakidis said during a panel discussion on "Why Tourism is Saudi's new white oil" at the Arabian Travel Market on Monday.  

When asked by Argaam later if the tender will be out this year, Kyriakidis, who is the president for Middle East and Africa (MEA) at Marriott International, gave no specific timeline, saying the “tenders might be issued sometime this year”.

Launched in May 2018, Qiddiya will be built in three phases until 2035. The mega project is expected to contribute around SAR 17 billion to the Kingdom’s GDP by 2030 and to provide 57,000 jobs.

Related: King Salman launches Al-Qiddiya entertainment project

Highlighting the importance of hotel designs at the panel discussion, Dr Badr Al Badr, CEO of Dur Hospitality, noted that the taste of travelers has refined as they look for designs and hotels that tell a story.

Citing its recently-launched Marriott hotel in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, he said: "The hotel is built to be part of the canyon (Wadi Hanifa), so we have reflected the natural surroundings in the design of the hotel.  It has seen huge success since opening up.”

Write to Parag Deulgaonkar at parag.d@argaamplus.com