China State Construction Engineering Corporation has won a contract to build the Janadriyah cultural district at the Qiddiya entertainment city outside Riyadh, in the Beijing-headquartered group’s second major award at the gigaproject in recent weeks.
The contract, from developer Qiddiya Investment Company, points to the growing role of Chinese contractors in delivering Saudi Arabia’s leisure and tourism gigaprojects, as Riyadh races to add hotel and entertainment capacity under its Vision 2030 diversification drive.
The scope covers six structures, comprising a heritage building, a gateway hotel, a wadi hotel, a creative hub, a community centre and an open-air market, according to trade publication MEED, which first reported the tender. The contract was put out to bid in December.
The award follows a separate contract handed to the group days earlier to build a transport hub at Qiddiya, including a parking structure for up to 2,000 vehicles, a passenger flow system and ticketing facilities within the development’s resort core zone.
Qiddiya, which spans more than 360 sq km southwest of Riyadh, is a central plank of the capital’s strategy to build out leisure tourism. Its pipeline includes an e-sports arena, the National Tennis Centre, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a motorsports track, a racecourse and several theme parks. The developer opened the Six Flags theme park, covering 320,000 sq m with 28 rides and attractions, in December.
The Janadriyah district takes its name from the heritage and cultural festival long associated with the Saudi capital, blending traditional architecture with modern hotel operations.