NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious mega-city project, has unveiled its first physical showcase, a luxury Red Sea island called Sindalah, the company announced on Sunday. The launch comes ahead of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum, commonly referred to as “Davos in the Desert,” set to begin Tuesday in Riyadh, and as questions remain over the mega-city’s ambitious plans.
Sindalah, described by NEOM’s CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr as a glimpse of the Kingdom’s “new era of luxury tourism,” offers a premium experience featuring restaurants, hotels, and yachting berths. In a statement, al-Nasr emphasized that Sindalah is just the start of NEOM’s extensive portfolio of destinations and developments. According to NEOM, the 200-acre island, spanning 840,000 square meters, aims to welcome up to 2,400 guests per day by 2028.
The launch of Sindalah marks a significant step in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s strategy to diversify the Kingdom’s economy beyond oil. The island is intended to appeal to high-end tourists, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s goal of developing new tourism and entertainment hubs to draw in international visitors.
NEOM’s most high-profile and ambitious project, known as The Line, is a series of 170-kilometer-long mirrored skyscrapers stretching inland from the Red Sea coast. First announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2022, The Line is projected to house over one million residents by 2030, with a planned capacity to expand to nine million by 2045. However, NEOM’s timeline for achieving these goals has come under scrutiny. Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that revised projections estimate just 300,000 residents will live in The Line by 2030, and only 2.4 kilometers of the project will be complete by the end of the decade.
NEOM, however, is not alone in Saudi Arabia’s portfolio of massive construction projects, all under the Vision 2030 framework. These include large-scale investments in infrastructure, hospitality, and sports, as the Kingdom aims to position itself as a hub for regional tourism, business, and international events. Last year, Saudi Arabia emerged as the sole bidder for hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup, giving it a decade to build stadiums and expand its lodging and transportation infrastructure.
Despite these ambitions, Saudi officials have recently acknowledged the challenges of meeting the Vision 2030 timeline. Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan stated in December that some major projects may need to extend beyond 2030, though he did not specify which projects could be delayed.
As the FII forum gathers investors from around the globe this week, NEOM’s leaders are expected to use the Sindalah launch to showcase progress and attract further interest, even as they face the challenge of delivering on the lofty goals laid out by Vision 2030.
