How is the “Riyadh Season” changing conservative Saudi society?
In recent years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has developed a comprehensive plan called Vision 2030 to move towards political, social, and economic reforms in Saudi society, the ultimate goal of which is to change the face of the Saudi nation-state, strengthen the national brand and, in short, change the face of the conservative society of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new generation of Saudi rulers intends to advance some of their intended reforms by defining new and innovative programs such as the “Riyadh Season” using cultural, artistic, and sports tools in the heart of conservative Saudi society. In other words, the organizers of the “Riyadh Season” ultimately intend to use this event, in addition to preserving some of the financial capital of the people within the country, to change some of the cultural ideas and worldviews of Saudi citizens, but in this process, events occur that go beyond the “Shariah” and “custom” governing the Muslim region of West Asia. In the rest of this note, we will try to take a look at the goals and some executive mistakes in the process of holding the “Riyadh Season”.
Riyadh Season is a cultural-sports festival that has been held since October 2019 at the initiative of Sheikh Turki, the arm of Mohammed bin Salman in the field of “cultural reforms”, based on the Vision 2030 document and under the guidance of the Public Entertainment Department. The two centers of the National Bank of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Telecommunications Company are the sponsors of this major event. The ultimate goal of this festival, in addition to familiarizing the world with the culture and potential of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is to increase the share of the “tourism economy” in the Saudi economy by relying on ancient monuments, local culture and the entertainment industry. Riyadh aims to host 100 million tourists from all over the world annually by Vision 2030. The organizers of this event currently plan to earn at least four billion dollars from this festival in the next few months.
Nearly 11 million people visited the first edition of the festival. During the two-month festival, flight bookings increased by 106 percent and hotel bookings in Saudi Arabia increased by 240 percent. November 4, 2021, Turki Al-Sheikh, Head of the General Entertainment Authority, received two international certificates for holding the largest entertainment event, and the name “Riyadh Season” was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for unveiling the giant slide.
What is the purpose of holding the Riyadh Season?
In addition to trying to diversify income benefits to get rid of “raw sales”, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is pursuing other goals during the “Riyadh Season”. Saudi Arabia intends to pave the way for a change in local culture by attracting prominent international figures and increasing communication between foreign tourists and Saudi citizens. In the opinion of the Saudis, completing this process will greatly help strengthen the national brand and Saudi Arabia’s soft power in the international environment. Creating such a platform allows traditional Saudi society members to become familiar with a variety of lifestyles and diverse attitudes from around the world and gradually become more receptive to diverse perspectives.