Riyadh - Mubasher: Qiddiya Investment Company announced the launch of an executive office called "Spirit of Play" to market and manage destinations, as a milestone within Qiddiya's efforts and ongoing commitment to interact with business partners around the world.

This announcement represents the company's first initiative based on building distinguished partnerships with companies, investors and business professionals, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) today, Tuesday.

Qiddiya is the world’s first city designed specifically for play, located in the heart of the Tuwaiq Mountains, just 40 minutes from Riyadh. It was developed to support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, combining entertainment, sports and culture. Qiddiya will include entertainment cities dedicated to families, sports stadiums and cultural venues, and will offer many outdoor activities and exceptional adventures.

Recent research commissioned by Qiddiya by Skift confirms the growing momentum for leisure, sports and cultural tourism. In a recent survey, more than 70% of travelers said that participating in leisure, sports and cultural experiences during their travels in the past five years was important to them, and that they were likely to consider such activities as a key factor in their future travel plans.

It is also worth noting that 81% of travelers said they plan their future trips to attend a music show or festival, and 76% of travelers said they plan to travel to attend a specific sporting event or tournament.

In line with this, the primary focus of the Spirit of Play is to promote and manage Qiddiya and enhance its position as a global destination that offers visitors an integrated experience to live, work and invest. It will also work to build proactive relationships with leaders in the travel industry, ensuring that partners are kept up to date and encouraged to actively participate in building a promising future for Qiddiya.

“This launch underscores our commitment to developing a unique, world-class destination,” said Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Dawood, Managing Director of Qiddiya Investment Company. “As one of the Kingdom’s leading projects, Qiddiya is at the core of Saudi Vision 2030’s vision of building a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation. We expect Qiddiya to welcome millions of visitors annually, accommodate more than half a million residents and contribute to providing hundreds of thousands of job opportunities and pathways to a range of new professions.”

For his part, Ross McCauley, General Manager of the Executive Office, “Spirit of Play”, said: “We are working to establish the position of Qiddiya as a destination that provides tourists with the opportunity to explore, interact and grow with others, through immersive, interactive and adventurous experiences.”

“The travel industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, driven by the desire of travelers to seek new and more meaningful experiences, especially in the active holiday or live mass events categories. We have seen this sector evolve rapidly around the world, with travelers booking tickets to attend concerts, sporting events and festivals. We are working to create a destination that has the foundations to take the visitor experience to a new level and in a new way,” he added.

With distinctive facilities and landmarks, including theme parks, playgrounds and performing arts centres, “Spirit of Play” is focused on developing a city and an integrated destination for all its visitors. This launch is an important step, as work is underway to build the foundations for cooperation and interaction with the market and respond to sectoral needs in a timely manner, in line with a series of announcements and launches of new facilities and other activities expected in the coming months and years.

As a key part of this dynamic project, Spirit of Play encourages networking with travel industry professionals, exploring partnership opportunities and leveraging it as a hub for information, collaboration and shared growth.