Watch out Thorpe Park.
When the oil-rich countries of the Middle East announce a project designed to tempt tourists and visitors, they tend to do so with plenty of ambition.
Anyone who’s been to Dubai, Abu Dhabi or the Qatar World Cup will know that.
So when Saudi Arabia announced a wildly ambitious plan to create the world’s most unique tourist attraction, no one scoffed. And, we have to say, it looks like it’s going to be quite something.
Here’s the basic pitch: it’s going to be a giant floating theme park. It’s also going to be so much more than that, though. The scale of ‘The Rig’ is genuinely quite mind-blowing.
The project’s catchy name is quite easily explained; The Rig is being built on an old oil rig off Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast, around 25 miles from the shoreline, not far from Al Juraid Island and the Berri oilfield.
This quirky offshore tourism project was announced back in 2021 and is being funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Part of the remit of the project is to ‘celebrate the legacy and heritage of Saudi Arabia’s long oil and gas history’, but it seems likely that’s not what will attract guests. They’ll come for the fun, glamour, glitz and magnitude of The Rig.
So, then. Onto those all important numbers. To give you a sense of scale.
There’s set to be 1.6 million square feet of space, three hotels, 800 rooms, 11 restaurants, 70 different activities, an estimated 10,000 guests per day, a marina with room for 50 boats, and one helipad. Oh, and a budget in excess of $5 billion (£4 billion).
One of the biggest and most thrilling rollercoasters in the world appears to be central to The Rig. As well as that, a sizable adventure and extreme sports park will also be built.
Along with a theatre and a multifunctional arena, the theme park will also have a diving facility, an e-sports centre and a range of aquatic activities.
The park will only be accessible for visitors by cruise ship, ferry or plane. Or, for those feeling super fancy – by helicopter. So think of it kind of like Jurassic Park. Hopefully sans killer dinosaurs.
It appears as though development is well and truly underway. The project is being developed by Saudi Arabia’s Oil Park Development Company (OPDC), under the direction of the firm’s CEO Raed N. Bakhrji.
Those pitching up to The Rig would expect to be able to take part in all sorts of fun, including: jet skiing, go-karting, bungee jumping, skydiving and zip-lining.
There are even plans to send out people for submarine rides in purpose-built submersibles.
Prices are a long way off being announced or even hinted at as yet, but you’d have to imagine that a trip to The Rig wouldn’t come cheap.
The official website describes the unusual plan like this: ‘The world’s first tourism destination on an offshore platform inspired by the design of offshore oil platforms.
‘This is no theme park – it’s an extreme destination, an entirely new playground for adventure tourism. The true scale of adventure.’
While The Rig’s boss Raed Bakhrji says this about it all: ‘The Rig draws its inspiration from Vision 2030 and its initiatives to develop the tourism sector, and it is expected to be one of the leading adventure tourism destinations aiming to attract more than 900,000 visitors annually by 2032.’
There looks set to be some pretty out-there design on show too. With some of the world’s top designers being approached to help come up with some of the looks of the hotel rooms, for instance. Form and function are balanced with aesthetics. With a constant reminder, as if you’d need it, that you’re on old oil rig.
There are plans for one of the eateries to serve fine dining while perched hundreds of feet above the ground.
Numerous rooms at the five-star hotels will provide stunning views of the ocean, while the huge planned stadium can accommodate thousands of people, as well as the booming sound of concerts featuring some of the biggest names from the world of music.
All in all, it sounds like a crazy idea. Exciting? Yes. Weird? Definitely. Everyone’s idea of a good vacation? Not at all. But for those who go, it seems pretty likely that it will at least be the best time they’ve ever spent on a oil rig.
