• Boost for Kingdom’s tourism industry from Oct. 20 to Feb. 22
• Massive global audience, thousands of Saudi jobs expected

Arab News

JEDDAH: The second edition of Diriyah Season is set to kick off on Oct. 20 with a host of top sports, culture and entertainment events, say the organizers.

This year’s season will end on Feb. 22 and is again expected to boost the Kingdom’s burgeoning tourism industry with events that will attract large numbers of local and international visitors, and create thousands of jobs for young Saudis.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the Diriyah Season committee, said: “We are delighted to announce the imminent launch of the Diriyah Season 2022 in the historic city, which features a great ancient historical heritage and deep-rooted geography and is listed on UNESCO’s World Urban Heritage sites.”

He said the success of 2019, which included the Formula E races and the world heavyweight boxing championship, had convinced the government to again hold events in Diriyah.

“Here I invite all fans, from inside and outside the Kingdom, to participate and enjoy this season, and what it offers,” he added.

The CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Jerry Inzerillo, said Diriyah was an ideal location to host regional and international events.

“We are excited to see large numbers of visitors from all over the world in the new season, and we look forward to satisfying visitors’ passion for sports and entertainment experiences.”

The previous Diriyah season was held over one month with 196 national and international athletes, four global sports events and 16 top live music performers.

There were visitors from 63 countries, with an audience of over 300,000 people, and with 15,000 jobs created for young Saudis.