Cairo: A high-profile Saudi entertainment calendar has expanded to one more region in the kingdom, raising to 17 the overall numbers of its venues this summer.
Najran in south-west Saudi Arabia has been placed on the map of the Kingdom’s Tour 2023, a summer multi-stop event launched by the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA), according to its chief Turki Al Alsheikh.
“The Kingdom’s Tour 2023 is the largest entertainment tour around the kingdom,” he said.
The event is organised and managed by local companies in different regions, allowing hundreds of Saudis to get engaged in their various stages of preparation, presentation, shows and accompanying logistic and technological services.
“GEA endeavours through the Kingdom’s Tour 2023 to give chances to the private sector in regions and cities it visits to maximise economic benefits and social impact of entertainment interaction experienced by these areas,” Al Alsheikh added, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.
The “Kingdom’s Tour 2023” kicked off last month and runs until late September, taking place in the cities of Riyadh, Dammam, the Northern Borders, Hafr Al Batin, Tabuk, H’ail, Al Qassim, Al Ihsa, Al Kharj, Wadi Al Dawasir, Jeddah, Taif, Al Namas, Al Baha, Jizan, Abha and Najran.
The event comprises concerts headlining several Saudi and Arab celebrated singers including Mohammed Abdu, Rabeh Saqer, Asala and Khaled Abdulrahman.
A set of theatrical works starring leading actors from around the Arab world will be staged too.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to boost its entertainment industry, staging a string of concerts, cinema, theatrical shows and competitions that have drawn large audiences from inside and outside the kingdom.
In May 2016, the kingdom created the GEA, a state agency that has since sponsored a slew of stellar concerts, stage shows and festivals. In April 2018, Saudi Arabia reopened cinemas for the first time in nearly four decades.
As many as 120 million people have attended entertainment events staged in Saudi Arabia since 2019, Al Alsheikh has said, as the kingdom is seeking to diversify its oil-reliant economy.
