Universal Studios mulls building theme park in Qiddiya

US theme park operator Universal Studios is reportedly exploring the possibility of building a multibillion-dollar attraction in Saudi Arabia.

Talks are at an early stage though a unit of Comcast, the theme park operator’s parent company, is carrying out initial concept work, the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting unidentified sources.

A Saudi government-backed entity could finance the potential park through a licensing deal with Universal, the report said.

The news comes amid a wider drive to develop large-scale theme parks in the Gulf. In May, the Walt Disney Company announced a partnership with Abu Dhabi developer Miral to build a theme park in the UAE capital.

Last month Comcast CEO Brian Roberts visited Saudi Arabia and the Qiddiya giga-project, which could host the possible Universal park.

Further reading:

• YouTube star MrBeast unveils Riyadh theme park
• Qiddiya is in no rush to secure outside investors, developer says
• ‘Tourism is the new oil’, says man trying to bring 150 million people to Saudi

A Six Flags theme park is expected to open in Qiddiya this month.

Qiddiya is part of Saudi Arabia’s attempt to boost tourist numbers to 150 million by the end of the decade. The giga-project is set over 334 square kilometres, making it two-and-a-half times the size of Disney World in Florida. 

The Saudi Public Investment Fund hopes Qiddiya will eventually attract 48 million visitors a year and contribute around SAR17 billion ($4.5 billion) to GDP.