Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven) will complete the construction work on its integrated recreational complex in Abha, the capital city of Asir Province in the southwest of the kingdom, by the end of 2025. “The construction works have reached advanced levels, and we are expecting the project to be completed by the end of this year,” officials from the Aseer Development Authority said on the sidelines of the second edition of the Aseer Investment Forum held in Abha earlier this week. The local firm Modern Building Leaders (MBL) is carrying out the construction work. In December 2022  MBL had won an estimated $253m contract to construct a mixed-use complex with open spaces for walking, indoor sports spaces, cinemas, education and entertainment premises, restaurants, food and beverage outlets, car parking and associated facilities. The Abha project will have a built-up area of more than 70,000 square metres (sq m) and is planned to feature go-karting, edutainment, bowling and indoor golf facilities. Consultants working on the project include Dar Engineering and Lebanon’s Khatib & Alami. The UK’s Mace International is the project management consultant. Earlier this month,Seven had awarded a contract to build its next entertainment complex in Al-Ahsa to the local firm Alfanar Projects. The Al-Ahsa entertainment complex will have a built-up area of about 94,000 sq m. The project is expected to be completed by 2027. Seven plans to invest $13.3bn in developing 21 integrated entertainment destinations in 14 cities in the kingdom as Riyadh pursues its strategy to move away from hydrocarbons, create jobs and improve the quality of life for citizens and residents. The complexes are intended to help position the kingdom as a regional hub for entertainment, culture and tourism. In May 2024, the Public Investment Fund announced the merger of Seven into Qiddiya Investment Company. “The move is in line with the strategy to establish an entertainment, sports and culture powerhouse in the kingdom,” the state-owned Saudi Press Agency reported at the time. The project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the kingdom. According to UK analytics firm GlobalData, leisure tourism in Saudi Arabia has experienced significant growth in recent years. Domestic leisure tourism trips have increased to 33.76 million in 2023 from 16.74 million in 2018. International tourist arrivals for recreational purposes have increased by 600% from 2018 to 2023. For registration as a supplier: https://seven.sa/commercial/ (ICE RIYADH)

Fonte notizia: Meed