Alongside its diplomatic and commercial aspects, Emmanuel Macron’s trip to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, December 4, included a small tourist and heritage dimension. Since the signing in April 2018 of an intergovernmental agreement with Riyadh, the French State has been jointly responsible for the development of the ancient site of AlUla, a Nabataean necropolis (a civilization that prospered between the Ier century BC AD and IIe century AD AD and whose capital was Petra, Jordan) in the sands of the north-west of the kingdom.
This project is being managed on the French side by the AlUla Development Agency (Afalula), together with the Royal Commission for AlUla, on the Saudi side. The transformation of these majestic stone-cut tombs into a global tourist destination is one of the flagship projects of Vision 2030, the modernization plan of Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman, the bis King of Arabia.
In Jeddah, the great port of Western Saudi Arabia, where he met the man nicknamed “MBS”, Mr. Macron was notably accompanied by Gérard Mestrallet, the president of Afalula. The French president’s visit to the kingdom comes as the site, in running for two years, has shifted into high gear. In December 2020, the “master plan” was officially validated by the dolphin and, in mid-November, the airport to the south of the oasis welcomed its first international flight.
Diversification strategy
While the site was only accessible in recent years by invitation, distributed to VIPs and influencers, during test weekends, it is now open to everyone and all year round – as long as the pandemic of Covid-19 does not force Saudi Arabia to close its borders. Between December and February, the spectacularly shaped concretions that dot AlUla are the scene of multiple shows: concerts, horse endurance races, polo matches, etc.
For Mohammed Ben Salman, this project is an opportunity to highlight a little-known aspect of Arabia, obviously more promising than the human rights violations with which the country is frequently associated in Western public opinion. Long taboo in the kingdom, accused of sullying the cradle of Islam, tourism is now considered by the crown as a lever of soft power, of international influence, just like the Formula 1 Grand Prix, which was organized Sunday in Jeddah.
The exploitation of Saudi landscapes, whether it is the desert or the coast of the Red Sea – where high-end resorts are being prepared – is also part of the country’s post-oil diversification strategy. And, through Afalula, France has positioned itself to take advantage of it. After architect Jean Nouvel, chosen to create an upscale hotel in the ocher rock canyons of AlUla, several French companies have won contracts linked to the development of this archaeological treasure, such as Thales and the engineering consortium Egis. Assystem-Setec. The Franco-Saudi tandem expects 2 million visitors per year by 2035.