Vision 2030 and Reform in Saudi Arabia: Facts and Figures April 2015 - April 2021 Foreword by Saud al-Sarhan Special Report May 2021, Ramadan 1442 H 1 Vision 2030 and Reform in Saudi Arabia: Facts and Figures April 2015 - April 2021 Special Report Culture, Sports and Entertainment Saudi Arabia is a youthful country. More than 65 percent of its population are under the age of 30, and they are keen for Saudi Arabia to become a more open and liberal society. Increasing Saudis’ access to entertainment has been a central focus of Vision 2030, and Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), created in May 2016, has been important in pushing this forward. Saudi Arabia’s leadership is also working to encourage tourism to the Kingdom and to host international sporting events. Key Quotes Entertainment and culture are very important to change the standard of living of a Saudi citizen in a short period of time.” . – HRH Mohammed bin Salman, April 2016.(184) .Our old course was not sustainable, and change is now underway in virtually every aspect of society.” . – HRH Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Deputy Defense Minister, March 2019.(185) Key Facts · A significant focus of Vision 2030 is opening up the Kingdom to foreign visitors, businesses and investors. Tourism is a key pillar of this transformation, but Saudi Arabia has never previously offered tourist visas. · In December 2018, visas for sporting events and concerts were offered by the Saudi government. In September 2019, the country introduced tourist visas for the first time. They are currently available to 49 countries including the US, Europe, and Asia. Female (184) Turki Al-Dakhil, “Full Transcript of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Al Arabiya Interview,” Al Arabiya News, April 25, 2016, https://english.alarabiya.net/media/inside-the-newsroom/2016/04/25/Full-Transcript-of-Prince-Mohammed-bin-Salman-s-Al- Arabiya-interview. (185) Khalid bin Salman, “Saudi Arabia Embraces Change – and the United States Can Help,” Washington Post, March 19, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/03/19/saudi-arabia-embraces-change-and-the-united-states- can-help/. 35 tourists will not be required to wear the abaya, but must dress modestly. There will be no restrictions on unaccompanied female tourists.(186) Unmarried foreign couples will be allowed to stay in hotel rooms together and all women, including Saudis, can book and stay in hotels alone.(187) · In May, 2020, “Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture, announced the establishing of Thunaiyat Ad-Diriyah Foundation. The foundation is concerned with contemporary arts, and was designed to be responsible for organizing an annual Biennale in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”(188) · Tourists will be charged around SAR 440 Saudi ($117) for a one-year visa allowing multiple entries, with a maximum 90-day stay each time.(189) Twenty four thousand tourists reportedly visited in the first ten days of the new regulation.(190) · Saudi Arabia issued more than 400,000 tourist visas between September 2019 and February 2020; this figure does not include the millions of religious pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia every year for Hajj and Umrah.(191) · In May 2016, Saudi Arabia held its first Comic-Con convention.(192) · In May 2016, Saudi Arabia was represented at the Cannes Film Festival and announced financial investments in filmmaking within the Kingdom.(193) (186) “Saudi Arabia to Open up to Foreign Tourists with New Visas,” BBC News, September 27, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/ business-49848068. (187) “Saudi Arabia: Unmarried Foreign Couples Can Now Rent Hotel Rooms,” BBC News, October 5, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/ news/world-middle-east-49947515. (188) “Minister of Culture Announces Establishing of Thunaiyat Ad-Diriyah Foundation to Organize International Art Biennale,” SPA, May 31, 2020, https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2093415; The inaugural will take place in December, 2021 “under the theme of Feeling the Stones, inspired by the slogan ‘crossing the river by feeling the stones’ coined by Chinese politician Deng Xiaoping during the 1980s as a metaphor for action at a time of social and economic transformation.” The National, March 31, 2021, https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/ad-diriyah-biennale-saudi- arabia-s-first-art-biennale-to-take-place-in-december-1.1194566. (189) Donna Abdulaziz, “Saudi Arabia Opens Kingdom to Foreign Tourists,” The Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2019, https:// www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabia-opens-kingdom-to-foreign-tourists-11569586198?mod=article_inline. (190) “Visa touristique en Arabie: 24.000 entrées en 10 jours,” L’Obs, October 8, 2019, https://www.nouvelobs.com/societe/20191008. AFP6198/visa-touristique-en-arabie-24-000-entrees-en-10-jours.html. (191) Vivian Nereim, “Saudi Arabia’s Granted 400,000 Visas Since Opening to Tourism,” Bloomberg, February 24, 2020, https:// www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-24/saudi-arabia-s-granted-400-000-visas-since-opening-to-tourism. (192) Bianca Britton and Basma Atassi, “Crowds Flock to Saudi Arabia’s First Comic Con,” CNN, February 20, 2017, https://edition. cnn.com/2017/02/19/middleeast/saudi-arabia-comic-con/index.html. (193) Robert Williams, “Cannes Festival Opens Under Specter of #MeToo, Sans Netflix,” Bloomberg, May 8, 2018, https://www. bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-08/cannes-festival-opens-under-specter-of-metoo-sans-netflix. 36 · Music concerts have increased in Saudi over the last few years, with Mohammed Abdu,(194) Mariah Carey,(195) DJ Tiesto,(196) BTS,(197) and Andrea Bocelli(198) performing, among others. Mohammed Abdu’s performance was the first concert in Riyadh in 30 years. · In 2018, cinemas returned to the Kingdom for the first time since 1979.(199) Saudi Arabia plans to build 600 cinema screens across Saudi Arabia by 2023.(200) · Saudi Arabia’s contemporary art scene is flourishing. Institutions such as the Athr Gallery have been vital in this. In January 2018, Jeddah hosted an art festival that brought together many young Saudi artists.(201) · In October 2019, it was announced that Saudi Arabia would build a modern art museum on the outskirts of Riyadh.(202) · In December 2019, Saudi Arabia relaxed its gender segregation rules regarding restaurants. It is hoped the decision will attract greater investment and more business opportunities to the Kingdom.(203) (194) Marianne Meunier, “Le Royaume Saoudien s’ouvre Timidement Au Divertissement,” La Croix, September 3, 2017, https:// www.la-croix.com/Culture/Musique/Le-royaume-saoudien-souvre-timidement-divertissement-2017-03-09-1200830663. (195) “Mariah Carey to Perform in Saudi Arabia on January 31,” Arab News, January 25, 2019, https://www.arabnews.com/ node/1441826/art-culture. (196) “Top DJs Headline Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Music Festival,” The Jakarta Post, December 21, 2019, https://www.thejakartapost. com/life/2019/12/21/top-djs-headline-saudi-arabias-biggest-music-festival.html. (197) Jennifer Barretto, “BTS Performed in Saudi Arabia: This Is What Happened,” Gulf News, October 12, 2019, https://gulfnews. com/entertainment/music/bts-performed-in-saudi-arabia-this-is-what-happened-1.67081859. (198) Hala Tashkandi, “Opera Star Andrea Bocelli Regales Music Lovers at Saudi Arabia’s Tantora Winter Festival,” Arab News, February 1, 2019, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1445566/saudi-arabia. (199) “Black Panther to Become First Film Shown in Saudi Arabian Cinemas in 35 Years,” The Guardian, April 5, 2018, https://www. theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/05/saudi-arabia-to-open-first-new-cinema-in-35-years. (200) “VOX Cinemas Opens Its First-Ever Theater in Tabuk,” Arab News, July 28, 2020, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1711416/ saudi-arabia. (201) Melissa Gronlund, “How the Saudi Art Scene is Determined to Keep Up With the Changes of its Country,” ATHR, February 13, 2018, https://www.athrart.com/news/238. (202) Dominic Dudley, “Saudi Arabia Joins the Gulf’s Culture Race with Plans for Modern Art Museum,” Forbes, October 17, 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2019/10/22/saudi-modern-art-museum/. (203) Stephen Kalin, “Saudi Arabia Ends Gender-Segregated Entrances for Restaurants,” Reuters, December 8, 2019, https://www. reuters.com/article/us-saudi-gender/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-entrances-for-restaurants-idUSKBN1YC0FZ. 37 Events · In November 2017, the Greek musician Yanni performed to an unsegregated audience in Jeddah.(204) · In January 2018, the Jeddah Art Festival included many contemporary young artists who freely expressed their ideas on society, politics, and life through their art.(205) · In June 2018, Saudi Arabia established the new Ministry of Culture, separating it from the Ministry of Information. Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud was appointed Minister of Culture.(206) · In June 2018, Saudi Arabia’s first Opera House opened at the King Abdulaziz International Cultural Center (Ithraa) in Dhahran. The theatre has 900 seats.(207) · In January 2019, the Head of Saudi Arabia’s Entertainment Authority, Turki Al al-Sheikh, announced a new program of government-sponsored events including a concert by the rap artist Jay-Z, an NBA basketball game, Disney musicals, a Madame-Tussauds exhibition, and a Pamplona-style running of the bulls. Turki Al al-Sheikh also announced that live music licenses would be permitted for cafés and restaurants.(208) · In August 2019, Saudi Arabia hosted its first international music festival. The Jeddah World Fest attracted 40,000 attendees and featured performances from 50 Cent, Janet Jackson, and DJ Steve Aoki.(209) Sports · In December 2018, Saudi Arabia held its first ABB FIA Formula E Championship. It was also held in November 2019, and February 2021.(210) (204) https://twitter.com/yanni/status/936380724831293441?t=1&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email&iid=c222e6 b54cb74c9ea3eec068fb49f68a&fl=4&uid=855406942721904640&nid=244+293670920 (205) Melissa Gronlund, “How the Saudi Art Scene Is Determined to Keep up with the Changes of Its Country,” Athr, February 13, 2018, https://www.athrart.com/news/238.