Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Saudi Arabia to turn huge oil rig into hotel and theme park resort

Saudi Arabia to turn huge oil rig into hotel and theme park resort

A huge oil drilling platform in the Arabian Gulf is to be transformed into an 800-room hotel and theme park.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund unveiled plans for its latest tourism attraction called The Rig – a series of connected platforms that span 150,000 square metres.

"This project is a unique ... attraction, expected to attract tourists from around the world, while being especially popular with citizens and residents of the GCC countries in the region," the PIF said as it unveiled the project at the weekend.

A promotional video showed images of theme park water slides constructed on to the former drilling platform and a steel-and-glass hotel atrium at the centre of the attraction.


The venue will have berths for 50 yachts along with "three hotels, world-class restaurants, helipads and a range of adventurous activities, including extreme sports".

The PIF did not disclose the location of The Rig. Many of Saudi Arabia's oil platforms are clustered off the east coast city of Dammam.

An opening date was not disclosed, with the PIF only saying that the project was part of its 2021-2025 strategy.

The Rig, which was announced on Saturday, is the latest tourism and entertainment project designed to reduce Saudi Arabia's reliance on oil.

The kingdom's government recently unveiled plans for major resorts in the Red Sea off the country's west coast.


Beach-life takes off in Saudi Arabia - in pictures


A floating blow-up water park spells 'Saudi Arabia' in English letters at Pure Beach in King Abdullah Economic City, about 125 kilometres south of Jeddah's city centre, on the Red Sea.

While tourists have long been able to mingle freely at such parties in and around Jeddah, known as the kingdom's most open-minded city, Saudis were confined to single-sex beaches.

Four years into a reform drive aimed at improving the country's image and creating new opportunities for its oil-reliant economy, Saudis are enjoying more freedoms.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×