Saudi Arabia has begun work on a massive $2bn heritage and culture tourism project at Souq Okaz City in Taif that will have heritage centres, museums, recreational areas and a convention centre.
The new city will create more than 15,000 jobs, with 80% of them on offer to young Saudis, reported Arab News.
According to the report, Souq Okaz City will also have a suburb with housing for about 750,000 people; a new international airport able to handle five million passengers a year in its first phase; a technology hub implemented by King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology; Taif University; and an industrial city.
The plans include five main public-sector projects: Interactive museums focusing on learning through recreation; an Okaz Museum; an exhibition and convention centre offering multi-purpose halls in which to host activities, festivals, heritage events, poetry and theatre fairs throughout the year; a museum for the Souq Okaz monuments next to an artisanal creative centre; and Okaz park.
The 18 main projects earmarked for the private sector include recreational parks, heritage villages, open markets, hotels, environmental camps, shopping malls, hospitals and medical centres, business centres, a social club, international schools, health clubs, sports facilities and tourist accommodation.
Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, governor of Makkah and adviser to King Salman, laid the foundation of the new project during celebrations for the opening of the 12th annual Souq Okaz.