The fact that Saudi Arabia is transforming itself into something no-one would have believed even ten years ago has been hammered home in style on the opening day of the Cannes Lions International Festival on the French Riviera this week. With the likes of Elon Musk, Deepak Chopra, Sir Patrick Stewart and Queen Latifah on the speakers list of what is arguably the world’s most important “mar-com” event, it may have come as a surprise to some to see Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), delivering a keynote that was nothing short of a masterclass in narrative and vision. His presentation, “Creativity: The New Source of Energy for Saudi Arabia,” was a testament to how the Kingdom is rewriting its story through the lens of Vision 2030 and the boundless creativity of its people.
Those who had reservations before the presentation were left with no doubts at all afterwards. The image of the new Saudi Arabia is one definitely based on creativity. “Creativity is the beacon of our future,” explained Hamidaddin. “We believe Saudi has a new story; a story being written as we speak. This story is being written by creativity.”
For the first time, thanks to Hamidaddin’s presentation, KSA is placed at the epicentre of inspiration. Inspiration that is centred around storytelling, and storytelling is something that Arabia has always cherished and celebrated, communicating its heritage, culture, and its stories of current legends.
Hamidaddin spoke of the Kingdom’s capacity to evoke romance, enduring love, science, and knowledge through storytelling, in a room and a festival counting thousands of storytellers. Here, it was the Saudi tourism CEO’s turn to tell the story, a story that is “not just heritage, but it’s a story that is meeting with dynamics and transformation to unearth a new potential for a whole nation, for a land that was well-kept with its hidden gems, archaeological sites, wisdoms of the civilisations that passed through it, the religions, the languages that came out of this land.”
“This is not like any other land, and our job is to share it with the world,” explained Hamidaddin, adding that this is happening at a time where “transformation is explosive.”
But with every ambition comes challenges: challenges that are structural; challenges that are societal, internal, and external: “These challenges are as big as our ambition,” said Hamidaddin, “And the only way to overcome these challenges every day is by finding unconventional solutions, hence creativity.”
All of this started in 2016 with a transformational vision called Vision 2030, a plan that aimed to take Saudi from being oil-dependent to becoming a fully diverse hypergrowth economy that sits at the centre of the world… not only physically, but economically, socially, and creatively as well. KSA is thus leveraging its unique position, being within the reach of 90% of the world’s population with less than a six-hour flight time.
That’s all well and good. But who is doing it all? “It’s the new generation,” said Hamidaddin, adding, “Even Saudis don’t recognise the changing and transforming Saudi every day. So, if you think you know Saudi, think again.”
The world has been witnessing a new value creation, fashioned by young, talented, determined creators that are willing to take risks; creatives that have not just open minds, but open hearts and open arms, says Hamidaddin. Less than 70% of the Saudi population is below 35. This, underlines Hamidaddin, is where the potential lies. And with that comes appetite and dynamism… and no prejudgement.
“We believe Saudi has a new story that is being written as we speak,” said Hamidaddin. “This story is led by creativity. What you see is a new hotel being built, which is carved on ancient stones in AlUla. But creativity goes back hundreds of years,” he added, speaking of the UNESCO heritage site that was recognised in 2021 as the best tourism village in the world.
Through Vision 2030, the time for creativity is back again, building on the elements of the past in order to create a beacon for the future. As all extraordinary creative endeavours are spawned from tension, here, the tension between the past and the future is like a spark to a flame. The greater the contrast, the greater the potential and opportunity, explained Hamidaddin.
The rebirth of art in Saudi Arabia
With Vision 2030 has come the rebirth of art in all its forms in KSA. Hamidaddin cited the Art Biennale as one case at hand, attracting over 30,000 people from around the globe. Grants, scholarships, and free creative funds for artists have been launched by the government to help young people unleash their potential. Women are also finally taking centre stage. In the arts, yes, but even in cinema, with the Saudi film Norah recognised in the Cannes Film Festival this year in the “Un Certain Regard” section. Hamidaddin also hailed the success of ‘The Perfect Candidate,” which was nominated for an Oscar.
Then there’s music: “Five years ago, we had no concerts… for four decades,” explained Hamidaddin. “Today we have an electronic music festival called Middle East that has the largest attendance in the world: over 600,000 attendees. It’s a festivity that invites musicians and leaders from around the world.”
Then there’s sports: “I’m sure you know about some of the sports athletes, celebrities that have moved to Saudi, but just last week or maybe two, we hosted the boxing match of the century. We started Formula E in Diriyah. And in the next weeks, we will start the first-ever Esports World Cup with more than 20 events celebrating 19 titles of top games that we know.”
Then there’s advertising: “We wanted to make sure that celebrities that we have, that we use and we partner with on our brands are immersed in our culture, are immersed in conversations freely with our people,” explained Hamidaddin. “It’s not a conversation from government. It’s a conversation from people to the people.”
Hamidaddin explained that the goal was to make sure that these voices were credible so that they would be truly believed as advocates of the brand. This immersion in the local culture had the goal of helping these “advocates” truly understand why they were there and what they were talking about.
He cited the case of Latifa, a Saudi national who moved to the US, studied, and wanted to start her business there. But once she saw the opportunities mushrooming and popping up in Saudi, she decided to come back. Today she is leading the fastest-growing business in Saudi tourism called Gathern – a home-sharing platform which already has 26,000 listings. Another individual under the spotlight was the first female self-taught DJ who became a star in Saudi (Eds: Cosmicat).
The importance of partners
As they say, no successful brand can ever be successful without successful and true partners. And it’s the same thing with people.
“We’ve been partnering with great creatives, innovators, talents from around the world. Just a few that you may recognise.” Speaking of friends and partners, he cited names like Cate Blanchett and Halle Berry, who participated and engaged with local talents during the Red Sea Film Festival, joining this journey and supporting the local players.
It’s not just about the future
While many announcements we see in the media talk about mind-boggling projects due for completion sometime between now and 2030, or even beyond, Hamidaddin underlined the fact that “this is not about the future… this is about now.”
The case at hand was the Miraya building in the desert next to AlUla, a fully mirrored building that not only contrasts from a design perspective with the raw nature of the region but also accentuates the beauty and the mountains that surround it. The venue has been hosting top festivals and top celebrities from around the world.
And when it comes to the mega-projects that are underway, Saudi Arabia is at a major advantage through the fact that everything is starting now, at a time when much can be learned from the failures of the past. KSA is the largest investor in tourism in the world, putting just under US$1 trillion in building these giga projects.
Hamidaddin underlined the importance of development at Diriyah, the “City of Earth,” the birthplace of the Saudi monarchy 300 years ago. Then there’s Qiddiyah – with a stadium that is expected to create an immersive experience for spectators in and out of the stadium that may host the World Cup in 2034.
Keeping the human touch, however, is vital, according to Hamidaddin: “Digitise the expected, but keep humanising the unexpected,” he said. “Stay true. Stay authentic. Make sure that you are true to the people… to the residents before the tourists.”
Then there’s The Line, the striking futuristic project that is challenging the downside of urbanism and cities as we know it: “We’re taking the risk and we’re creating the labs, inviting the scientists, the talented, those who are willing to dream. And we learn and we improve and we up the game as we go,” he said.
Hamidaddin discussed pristine locations like the Red Sea, which boasts an expansive 1,800 kimometres of coastline. According to National Geographic, the Red Sea offers some of the best diving spots in the world. This coastline is largely untouched, with numerous islands and coral reefs that require protection. As part of the government’s development, fewer than 100 resorts are to be built.
“We asked ourselves how we could enhance these cities and resorts as we develop them. We wanted to ensure that every visitor contributes positively, such as planting a mangrove or supporting our turtle breeding island,” said Hamidaddin. “Our ocean areas and nurseries aim to support marine life, including super corals from the Red Sea, which are resilient and vibrant.”
Currently, there are no cruise lines or yachts in these waters, allowing Red Sea Global to focus on preservation. They are also revitalising dying corals from other coasts by pairing them with Saudi “super corals” and reintroducing them to their original habitats.
There’s a saying, says Hamidaddin: “If you do good, good will come to you.” Sustainability he says, is often discussed but rarely implemented fully due to its complexity and cost. However, the STA chief says he believes that the nation’s significant investments in sustainability will ultimately attract the most appreciative and responsible travellers.
Combating prejudice through travel
Hamidaddin quoted Mark Twain, “Travel is fatal to prejudice,” and spoke about initiatives to encourage travel to less-visited destinations. “By promoting such travel, we aim to combat polarization and foster greater understanding and appreciation among people.”
“My team is the people of Saudi Arabia”, concluded Hamidaddin. “They have been the true testament to Arabian hospitality, to generosity and care beyond just surface. And this has been the number one driver to our brand”
He ended by putting a name to the feeling travellers get when they first visit Saudi Arabia… or return: “We coined the term for true Arabian hospitality with the word Hafawa”, he said. “This is what travellers have experienced, including our celebrities, that understood us better through these people and the conversations they had with them… and decided to take our conversation and pass it to the world.”
Indeed, word is spreading. Those who visit the Kingdom tend to become instant ambassadors. Yes, creativity is at the heart of what’s happening in Saudi Arabia at the moment. But it’s so much more. Those who attended this week’s keynote in Cannes have no doubt begun to understand this… and with luck, they too will visit the Kingdom and go on to become part of a growing chorus singing the praises of this fascinating nation – in a state of total transformation.
