Theme park groupies will love Six Flags Qiddiya, the recently opened $1 billion park on the edge of Riyadh, but it’s not for the fainthearted. The longest, tallest, and fastest rollercoaster in the world, Falcon’s Flight, is breathtaking in every sense of the word.
It is set in a spectacular environment, with glistening steel tracks rising up against a backdrop of cliffs soaring out of the desert. It is only let down by still being in the middle of a vast construction site which will eventually house a waterpark, hotels, a F1 racing track, and a cliff-top stadium.
On a recent visit, I met people who had travelled from the US just to experience it, indicating that Qiddiya is already doing its bit to attract tourists to the kingdom. That being said, the park wasn’t busy. The lines for most rides were only a few minutes long — great for customers, if not the park’s profitability.
Qiddiya’s goal is both to draw in foreign visitors and persuade Saudis they don’t need to leave the country to have fun. Delivering a beautifully built attraction is the first stage of the battle. Filling it with people will be the next.