Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Paris produced far more than diplomatic ceremony. A new strategic council, more than 22 agreements, a €6 billion Saudi leisure investment in France and an extension of the AlUla partnership until 2035 point towards a relationship of exceptional breadth. But does this make France Saudi Arabia’s number-one “go-to” partner in Europe—and what could it mean for tourism between the two countries?
When Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman joined French President Emmanuel Macron at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris, the symbolism was difficult to miss.
A global competition created in Saudi Arabia had staged its first international edition in the French capital. Two countries with very different histories and societies were using sport, technology and youth culture to introduce themselves to new audiences.
The following day, however, symbolism gave way to substance.
At the Élysée Palace on 24 August, the two leaders presided over the inaugural meeting of the French-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council, reviewed some of the Middle East’s most urgent security challenges and oversaw an economic programme resulting in more than 22 agreements and memoranda of understanding.
The announcements covered defence, investment, energy, artificial intelligence, transport, healthcare, culture, entertainment and tourism. Bilateral trade had already reached approximately $11.8 billion in 2025, while the two governments agreed to establish a dedicated financial framework to support projects delivered by French companies in Saudi Arabia.
Most strikingly, the visit also produced an agreement for Saudi-backed leisure development in France on a scale the country has not seen for decades.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the visit as an “important step” in the relationship.
“We have already accomplished a great deal together,” he said. “We can go further.”
The question is how much further—and whether the Crown Prince’s choice of Paris confirms France as Saudi Arabia’s principal European partner.
READ THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE ELYSEE PALACE
A relationship moves from access to architecture
Mohammed bin Salman’s latest visit was his third to France since 2022. Macron, meanwhile, made a state visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2024.
That frequency of direct contact is important, but the real change lies in the institutional structure being created around the two leaders.
During Macron’s 2024 visit, France and Saudi Arabia agreed upon a roadmap for a strategic partnership and decided to establish a council co-chaired at the highest political level. The Crown Prince’s Paris visit convened that council for the first time.
The difference is more than bureaucratic.
High-level relationships can lose momentum when they depend upon occasional meetings or individual projects. A strategic council introduces regular oversight, assigns responsibility and gives ministers, government agencies and businesses a mechanism through which political commitments can be converted into results.
The joint statement issued by the Élysée said the partnership should provide “new momentum” to the friendship, trust and mutual respect between the two countries.
The timing also carries historical significance. France and Saudi Arabia are marking the centenary of their political relations in 2026.
What began as a conventional relationship between a European power and a newly consolidating Arab state has developed into a much broader partnership between two countries seeking greater influence in an increasingly fragmented international system.
Why France—and why now?
Saudi Arabia does not want to exchange dependence upon one global power for dependence upon another.
Its foreign policy is increasingly based upon diversification: maintaining its historic security relationship with the United States while expanding ties with China, India, Russia and the major European states.
France fits particularly well into this approach.
It is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a nuclear power, a leading EU state and one of the few European countries capable of combining diplomacy, defence, advanced technology, culture and large-scale infrastructure.
Paris also maintains a tradition of strategic autonomy. It is prepared to pursue its own dialogue with the Arab world even when French positions differ from those of Washington or other European capitals.
For Riyadh, this makes France useful in a way that goes beyond contracts.
France can provide access to European political thinking without speaking for the entire European Union. It offers defence and technological capabilities without the same degree of dependence associated with the United States. It also brings globally recognised expertise in culture, luxury, hospitality, aviation, transport, nuclear energy, water management and destination development.
For France, the advantages are equally clear.
Saudi Arabia is not simply a source of energy or investment. It has become a pivotal diplomatic actor, a growing international market and a potential bridge linking Europe with the Gulf, Asia and Africa.
Ahead of the visit, the French presidency reportedly described Saudi Arabia as a “central link in supply routes between Europe and the Middle East.”
This strategic importance has increased amid instability affecting the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea shipping. Energy security, alternative transport routes, ports, pipelines and regional rail networks are therefore no longer separate from the broader political relationship.
An increasingly important diplomatic partnership
The Paris talks were dominated partly by regional crises.
The two leaders called for a negotiated solution concerning Iran’s nuclear programme, condemned attacks upon shipping and stressed the importance of restoring normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
They also coordinated positions on Gaza, Palestinian statehood, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Sudan. France expressed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and rejected attacks against the Kingdom’s territory.
The breadth of this agenda illustrates why the relationship matters to both countries.
Saudi Arabia brings regional influence, economic weight and increasingly active diplomacy. France brings its Security Council position, European influence and ability to mobilise international institutions.
This cooperation has already produced significant diplomatic initiatives. France and Saudi Arabia jointly advanced the New York process on the two-state solution, helping to restore international focus upon Palestinian statehood and political settlement.
The relationship is not based upon total agreement. Neither country expects the other to become a conventional ally that automatically follows its position. Its value lies instead in their ability to work together when interests converge.
That flexibility may be one of the strongest arguments for describing France as a Saudi “go-to” partner.
Turning political confidence into investment
The commercial results of the visit were substantial.
The first Strategic Partnership Council and accompanying investment roundtable brought together leading French and Saudi executives to examine opportunities in energy, industry, finance, logistics, health, tourism, culture and technology.
French foreign direct investment stock in Saudi Arabia reached approximately €16.3 billion in 2024—more than double its level five years earlier—making France the Kingdom’s fourth-largest source of foreign investment.
Around 170 French companies operate in Saudi Arabia, while French investors hold hundreds of licences across sectors including water, energy, transport, aviation, engineering, healthcare and construction.
Saudi investment in France is also becoming increasingly visible. The Public Investment Fund reportedly invested around $9 billion in France between 2017 and 2024 as part of approximately $85 billion committed across Europe.
Several agreements announced in Paris illustrate how the relationship is evolving:
- CMA CGM and Red Sea Gateway Terminal agreed upon a €434 million investment to develop Terminal 4 at Jeddah Islamic Port, with an annual capacity of 2.6 million containers.
- Alstom secured a €500 million contract for additional trains on Lines 3 and 6 of the Riyadh Metro and agreed to support the establishment of a metro-train assembly plant in Saudi Arabia.
- Orano and Saudi mining company Maaden signed a memorandum covering technology development and strategic cooperation.
- French artificial-intelligence company Mistral AI and Saudi company HUMAIN agreed upon a long-term framework involving computing capacity, AI models and commercialisation.
- Financing packages supported through Bpifrance Assurance Export could provide up to $3 billion for Saudi Energy and approximately $5 billion for projects including Riyadh’s Metro, the Sharaan hotel in AlUla and transport requirements connected with Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
- Saudia Group, Saudi EXIM Bank and Crédit Agricole CIB agreed to cooperate on financing four Airbus aircraft for the Saudi national carrier.
These are not simply exports from France to Saudi Arabia. They increasingly involve financing, localisation, knowledge transfer and Saudi investment inside France.
That two-way movement distinguishes a strategic partnership from a conventional supplier-client relationship.
A €6 billion symbol of the new relationship
The most spectacular announcement was a memorandum to explore a Saudi-backed leisure and entertainment destination near Cergy-Pontoise, northwest of Paris.
The proposed development, financed by Saudi entertainment and investment group Qiddiya, represents a potential investment of €6 billion. Plans envisage three theme and leisure parks, together with hotels, restaurants and housing, creating an estimated 22,000 jobs.
One component is expected to draw upon the world of the Japanese manga and anime franchise Dragon Ball.
“Nothing like this has happened since Disneyland Paris,” Macron said of the scale of the proposed investment.
The project remains at an early stage, and important questions—including the timetable, planning approvals and final configuration—have yet to be settled. It should therefore be treated as a major intention rather than a completed investment.
Nevertheless, its significance is difficult to overstate.
For years, the economic story between the two countries largely concerned French companies winning business in Saudi Arabia. The Cergy-Pontoise project reverses the direction of travel: a Saudi organisation applying its growing leisure-development expertise to a major destination in France.
It also demonstrates how tourism, entertainment and soft power have become central to the bilateral relationship rather than decorative additions to it.
AlUla: the original blueprint
The clearest example of French-Saudi tourism cooperation remains AlUla.
France’s archaeological involvement in the region predates Vision 2030, but the partnership acquired an entirely new scale in 2018, when the countries signed an intergovernmental agreement concerning the cultural, tourism and economic development of AlUla.
The agreement led to the creation of the French Agency for AlUla Development, AFALULA, which has worked with the Royal Commission for AlUla across archaeology, architecture, urban development, arts, heritage, tourism, education, environmental management and security.
France Diplomatie describes AlUla as the “emblematic project” of bilateral cooperation.
The partnership has enabled Saudi Arabia to draw upon French experience in heritage conservation and cultural destination management while giving French archaeologists, architects, museum specialists, hospitality professionals and creative companies a role in one of the world’s most ambitious destination projects.
During the Paris visit, the two governments extended the AlUla partnership until 2035.
They said the new framework should reflect the maturity of the relationship and the opportunities presented by AlUla as “a major cultural and heritage destination of the 21st century.”
This extension is particularly important because it demonstrates durability.
AlUla has moved beyond an individual consultancy contract or prestige announcement. It has become a long-term partnership capable of surviving changes in leadership, budgets and development priorities.
It is also a model that could be applied elsewhere.
Saudi Arabia is developing an extraordinary portfolio of destinations, including the Red Sea, AMAALA, Diriyah, Qiddiya and Aseer. France has expertise applicable to each of them: museums, gastronomy, luxury hospitality, architecture, transport, water management, vocational training and major-event organisation.
Tourism cooperation was already accelerating
The Crown Prince’s visit did not create the bilateral tourism relationship from nothing.
In June 2026, Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb and French Tourism Minister Serge Papin signed a joint tourism action programme during the UN Tourism Executive Council meeting in Toledo.
The agreement shifted cooperation from broad dialogue towards a programme of practical initiatives.
It covers:
- Training and strategic tourism-workforce planning.
- Tourism investment and the facilitation of commercial partnerships.
- Sustainable development and visitor-flow management.
- Protection and management of natural resources within hospitality.
- Cooperation between French travel-technology companies and Saudi tourism organisations.
- Tourism data, statistics and the use of artificial intelligence.
- International-event organisation.
- Destination marketing involving the Saudi Tourism Authority and Atout France.
The programme is important because it addresses the operational challenges that accompany rapid tourism growth.
Saudi Arabia does not simply need more hotel rooms. It needs trained employees, effective distribution, data, technology, destination-management expertise and systems capable of delivering consistently high service standards.
France possesses this knowledge because it has been managing tourism at scale for decades. It welcomed a record 102 million international visitors in 2025, generating €77.5 billion in international tourism receipts.
The Saudi-French programme therefore connects one of the world’s most established destinations with one of its fastest-growing.
What could the visit mean for Saudi tourism?
The most immediate benefit for Saudi Arabia is likely to be increased access to French expertise.
A French government assessment published in 2024 described the country’s tourism know-how as being strongly sought after by Saudi authorities, particularly in culture, museums, hospitality, training, entertainment and events.
French companies and institutions already occupy important positions:
- Accor was managing approximately 16,000 hotel rooms in Saudi Arabia in 2023, with the French government report projecting around 30,000 by 2030.
- Hospitality and culinary institutions including FERRANDI Paris and Le Cordon Bleu have participated in training cooperation.
- French cultural institutions and specialists are involved in museums, archaeology, heritage conservation and cultural programming.
- French events businesses have participated in Saudi exhibitions, festivals and sporting events.
- French restaurant and hospitality concepts have expanded into Riyadh, Jeddah and other Saudi cities.
This expertise is especially valuable as Saudi Arabia moves from rapid construction towards operation.
New resorts must be sold internationally. Cultural sites must be interpreted for visitors. Hotels need trained teams. Events require reliable production. Destinations must manage transport, capacity and environmental pressures.
These are areas where France offers not merely prestigious brands, but decades of institutional experience.
Could the visit increase French travel to Saudi Arabia?
France is already an important European source market for Saudi tourism, but it is not yet number one.
According to a French Treasury report, approximately 167,000 French visitors travelled to Saudi Arabia in 2023. France was the fourth-largest European source market overall and the second-largest Western European market, behind the United Kingdom, which generated approximately 370,000 visitors.
The potential for growth is considerable.
Saudi Arabia welcomed 29.3 million international visitors in 2025, including seven million travelling primarily for leisure. French awareness, however, remains concentrated around a relatively small number of destinations—particularly AlUla, Riyadh and the Red Sea.
Stronger cooperation between the Saudi Tourism Authority and Atout France could broaden that awareness. Joint marketing, travel-trade education and improved distribution could help French travellers understand Saudi Arabia not as a single destination, but as a country capable of supporting cultural, coastal, urban, adventure and luxury itineraries.
Air access is already improving. Saudia connects Paris with Riyadh and Jeddah, while Air France launched a direct Paris-Riyadh service in 2025.
More capacity, competitive fares and the arrival of Riyadh Air could expand the market further.
Political visibility also matters. High-level visits create media coverage, encourage commercial confidence and make tour operators more willing to invest in programming a destination.
The real test will be whether the diplomatic momentum produces bookable products in the French market.
Saudi tourism to France: small in volume, significant in value
Travel in the opposite direction is equally important.
France has long held strong appeal for Saudi travellers through its fashion, luxury retail, gastronomy, culture, education and medical services.
Paris remains the principal destination, but the Côte d’Azur, Alpine resorts, Disneyland Paris and regional cultural destinations also attract high-spending Saudi visitors.
Industry analysis drawing upon Paris Region data estimates that approximately 100,000 Saudi visitors stayed in the capital region in 2024, followed by growth of around 27 per cent during the first half of 2025. Saudi Arabia is described as the leading Paris source market from the Gulf and Middle East when Türkiye is excluded.
The numbers may be modest when compared with France’s 102 million international visitors, but their economic importance is greater than their volume suggests.
Gulf travellers typically stay longer, travel with larger family groups and spend heavily on luxury accommodation, shopping, dining, private transport and personalised services.
They are precisely the kind of high-value visitors France wants to attract as it attempts to increase tourism receipts rather than simply record ever-higher arrival numbers.
The emotional connection is also real.
“The food, culture, art and history all invite you back,” Saudi cultural consultant Marwan Alrasheed told Arab News after visiting Paris.
Direct flights, Arabic-speaking services, halal dining, family accommodation and better promotion of destinations beyond Paris could substantially increase this market.
Expo 2030: the next major opportunity
Expo 2030 Riyadh is likely to become one of the most visible tests of the new partnership.
Macron and the Crown Prince agreed that French participation should become a major highlight of bilateral relations.
Atout France and the Expo 2030 Riyadh Company also signed an agreement to exchange expertise in organising international events.
France’s experience is particularly relevant. It has organised some of the world’s largest cultural, sporting and business events and welcomed an unprecedented concentration of international visitors during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Saudi Arabia will need to integrate transport, hospitality, technology, visitor information, accessibility, security and destination promotion on an enormous scale.
French companies are already positioned to contribute through metro projects, rolling stock, hospitality, event technology, cultural programming and visitor management.
Expo 2030 could therefore become for Riyadh what AlUla has been for cultural tourism: a flagship project demonstrating the practical value of the French-Saudi partnership.
Is France now Saudi Arabia’s number-one European “go-to”?
The most accurate answer is: in some fields, increasingly yes—but not across the board.
The United Kingdom retains deeper defence, financial and educational ties in several areas. It also sends more tourists to Saudi Arabia than France.
Germany remains an industrial and engineering powerhouse, while Italy and Spain have strong positions in construction, design, energy, infrastructure and hospitality.
Measured solely by trade, arms sales or visitor numbers, France cannot claim undisputed leadership.
But those measures do not capture the full nature of the relationship.
France’s advantage is breadth. Few European countries can offer Saudi Arabia the same combination of:
- Direct access at presidential level.
- Independent diplomatic influence.
- Membership of the European Union and the UN Security Council.
- Defence and advanced-technology capabilities.
- Expertise in nuclear energy, aviation, transport and infrastructure.
- Global leadership in luxury, culture, hospitality and destination management.
- A proven long-term tourism-development partnership through AlUla.
- A willingness to welcome major Saudi investment into France.
France may therefore be emerging not as Saudi Arabia’s exclusive European partner, but as its most comprehensive one.
For tourism and culture, its claim is stronger still. AlUla, AFALULA, the June tourism programme, the Paris Esports World Cup, Expo 2030 cooperation and the proposed Cergy-Pontoise leisure destination create a bilateral tourism relationship unmatched in its scope.
Why tourism matters far beyond holidays
Tourism is sometimes treated as a secondary consequence of diplomacy. In the Saudi-French relationship, it is becoming one of its principal instruments.
It creates employment and investment. It supports airlines, hotels, retail, food, transport, culture and entertainment. It encourages education and professional training.
More importantly, it changes how populations see one another.
French visitors returning from AlUla, Riyadh or the Red Sea carry home impressions of a country undergoing rapid social and economic change. Saudi travellers experiencing French culture beyond luxury shopping develop a more complex understanding of France.
These encounters matter because political relationships become more durable when they are supported by business networks, institutional partnerships and personal experience.
Tourism also gives the Saudi-French partnership visibility. A metro contract or financing agreement may be economically important but largely invisible to the public. An archaeological discovery in AlUla, a Saudi-supported leisure destination outside Paris or a major international event reaches millions of people.
It turns diplomacy into something that can be visited, experienced and remembered.
The decisive issue will be delivery
The Paris visit has unquestionably moved the relationship forward.
The inaugural Strategic Partnership Council gives it political structure. More than 22 agreements give it economic substance. AlUla provides a proven model. The €6 billion leisure project in France introduces genuine two-way investment, while tourism and Expo agreements create a programme for future cooperation.
Yet announcements are not outcomes.
The Cergy-Pontoise project must pass through planning and financing. Commercial agreements must become contracts. French expertise must support Saudi localisation rather than remain a collection of imported services. Tourism cooperation must produce additional flights, trained workers, new itineraries and measurable visitor growth.
France will also continue to face competition from Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and other countries seeking roles in Vision 2030.
The conclusion, therefore, is not that France has become Saudi Arabia’s automatic first choice in Europe.
It is that Paris has built the strongest claim to being the Kingdom’s European partner of reference—particularly when diplomacy, culture, tourism, investment and strategic autonomy are considered together.
Macron’s assertion that the two countries can “go further” is more than diplomatic optimism. The framework now exists.
Whether France truly becomes Saudi Arabia’s principal European “go-to” will depend upon what Paris and Riyadh build with it.
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