Here in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is often referred to by expats as ‘the Magic Kingdom’. They’re not wrong. Looking for a place where the unexpected can happen at any moment, and the normal rules don’t apply? You’ve come to the right place.

Create a 170km self-contained city in the desert? On it. Build a racetrack that features a 20-storey high corner, with a concert venue below? Under way. Create a new downtown for Riyadh, with a colossal cube-shaped skyscraper at its centre? Tick. Construct an adventure-themed tourism destination 40km off the coast of the Persian Gulf? No problem. Host the 2034 FIFA World Cup? Consider it done.

Is there any limit to the astonishing projects that the Kingdom can conjure up? I've lived and worked in Riyadh for the past 18 months. And I can tell you the media is not even scratching the surface of what's happening on the ground.

The shifts that are taking place on the ground are immense and fundamental. Critics suggest some of the giga projects, like Neom, are nothing but massive PR projects. In reality, these projects are only the tip of an immense iceberg of transformation.

The real change is happening at every level of Saudi society. Drive the streets of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and many other cities. Marvel at the sheer number of construction cranes dotting the landscape. Look at the number of emerging tourism destinations across the Kingdom. Aseer, Ahsa, Hail and many more. Look at the number of manufacturing and industrial businesses that are being created. This is a country on the move.

Speed of change

What’s most astonishing is the speed of the change that’s taking place at every level of Saudi society. Back in 2016, my wife flew to Riyadh for a business trip for a global professional services firm. What she found was a world where men and women worked on separate floors of the building. Where women weren’t allowed to venture out without a male escort, let alone drive a car. Where cinemas and public entertainment didn’t exist. Where the religious police, the mutawa, would harass people in the streets for not appearing modest enough. Or arrest male shopworkers on suspicion of being too effeminate.

Eight years later, my office is filled with bright, ambitious, driven young Saudi women. They're not only working alongside their male compatriots. They're revelling in their opportunities.

Young people – who make up 70% of the Saudi population – flood the streets and the malls at night. They dine at world-class home-grown Saudi restaurants. They watch the world’s top athletes and entertainers perform in their own backyard.

Tourists from all over the world are flocking to the Kingdom. They're attracted by the allure of something different. Destinations like Al Ula, the Red Sea, Diriyah and Jeddah are booming.

The Riyadh metro began operating this month [December 2024] . It's a 176km network which has been 10 years in the making. It doesn't only aim to reduce the chronic traffic congestion which plagues the capital. It promises to revolutionise the way Saudis commute.

Entire new industries are being born. Fintech, AI, manufacturing, healthcare, tourism, and more. They're being supported by government at every level.

Vision 2030

What’s driving this rapid development is a program called Vision 2030. It’s extremely focused and breathtakingly ambitious. The program sets out to establish Saudi Arabia as a global leader by doing a couple of things. Diversifying its economy, attracting investments, improving the lives of its people. To do this, it has some clear goals. Create jobs and lower unemployment. Increase the number of women in the workplace. Increase non-oil revenues. Boost foreign direct investment. And so on.

Like most Middle Eastern economies, the government is all too aware of the need to pivot away from fossil fuels. It knows it has to create an alternative economy. That’s why it is investing in key sectors, like tourism, manufacturing, small business, fintech and health. Tourism is a key focus, with an official target of attracting around 150 million tourists by 2030. Is that doable? Considering it surpassed the 100 million mark this year, it seems likely.

Make no mistake, there are massive challenges in the way of Saudi Arabia’s lofty ambitions. The first one is financial. The global demand for oil means money keeps pouring into the coffers. But there’s a growing realization that spending needs to deliver commensurate value.

Reputational challenges

The second challenge is reputational. Western media and commentators question the Kingdom’s commitment to the environment and human rights. They throw around phrases like ‘greenwashing’ and ‘sportswashing’. Government has to be far more decisive in demonstrating the level of change in Saudi society to the world if it is to attract the tourists and foreign investments it is looking for.

What’s PR’s role in all this? Right now, the PR industry in the Kingdom is booming. Most of the world’s best-known PR agencies operate in the country, jostling for business with a host of local agencies and strategy firms. Competition for lucrative government contracts is more cut-throat than ever. Luckily, there’s plenty of work to go around.

The level of PR is also growing in sophistication. Many clients still see PR as an old-fashioned press release and media relations play. That's changing rapidly. Many forward-thinking clients are leading a move towards edgy, relevant campaigns that wouldn’t look out of place at Cannes.

The bottom line? We’ve only scratched the surface of the stories that are waiting to be told about Saudi Arabia. The reality is a nation of smart, ambitious, patriotic, young people who are making things happen on a scale that must be seen to be believed. For communications professionals, there’s no more exciting place to be.