Saudi Giga entertainment, sports, and culture hub Qiddiya will host the Kingdom’s first and the region’s largest water theme park, it was announced on Wednesday.

Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), the project’s developer, awarded a 2.8 billion Saudi riyal ($750 million) construction contract for the water theme park to a joint venture of ALEC Saudi Arabia Engineering & Contracting, and El Seif Engineering Contracting, followed by a ground-breaking ceremony for the project.

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Ground-breaking for Saudi Arabia's and the region's largest water theme park in Qiddiya

QIC said in a press statement that the agreement was formally signed between Qiddiya’s Managing Director Abdullah bin Nasser Aldawood, ALEC’s CEO Kez Taylor, and El Seif’s CEO Ahmed Al-Bassam at a ceremony held at the Qiddiya Experience Centre.

The statement said the Park would cover 252,000 square metres of land and would be home to 22 rides and attractions – including nine that will be world firsts and competition water sports facilities, and 17 food and beverage and retail outlets.

 Abdullah bin Nasser Aldawood said the Water Theme Park would be a year-round immersive family entertainment destination and the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia.

Kez Taylor said ALEC’s established expertise in large-scale theme park projects, honed through the successful delivery of other iconic water parks in the GCC, combined with the local expertise of El Seif “will ensure the rides and infrastructure at the Qiddiya set new standards for the region.”

Ahmed Al-Bassam said El Seif and ALEC have formed a strategic alliance and are committed to being the JV of choice for large complex projects in the Kingdom. El Seif has some of Saudi Arabia’s iconic projects, such as the Kingdom Tower, Princess Noura University, and Haramain High-Speed Rail Rabigh Station.

Sustainable design

The statement noted that the water park’s design incorporates advanced environmental systems to minimise water use through recycling and smart usage in line with QIC’s sustainability practices.

It said some rides had been designed to use 75 percent less water compared to the more conventional rides found in other water parks. In addition, rainwater will be captured, treated, and reused for irrigating the destination.

The Park will also integrate technologies to reduce water pressure in certain rides, which will, in turn, reduce water evaporation by half. In addition, every pool in the complex will be based on a ‘run-out’ concept so that at the end of the slide, individuals will glide safely across a shallower pool that uses less water, unlike traditional deeper pools used in other water parks.

In December 2021, QIC had awarded a contract worth 3.75 billion riyals ($1 billion) to Saudi Arabia’s Almabani General Contractors, and France’s Bouygues Bâtiment International to build Six Flags Qiddiya theme park.

(Writing by Anoop Menon; Editing by Bhaskar Raj)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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