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Royal Commission for AlUla, Monsha’at Partner to Unlock Region’s Economic Potential

FILE PHOTO: Visitors walk outside the tombs at the Madain Saleh antiquities site, AlUla, Saudi Arabia February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin
FILE PHOTO: Visitors walk outside the tombs at the Madain Saleh antiquities site, AlUla, Saudi Arabia February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin
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Royal Commission for AlUla, Monsha’at Partner to Unlock Region’s Economic Potential

FILE PHOTO: Visitors walk outside the tombs at the Madain Saleh antiquities site, AlUla, Saudi Arabia February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin
FILE PHOTO: Visitors walk outside the tombs at the Madain Saleh antiquities site, AlUla, Saudi Arabia February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and the Saudi Arabian Government’s Small & Medium Sized Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at) have signed an agreement that would benefit entrepreneurs and SMEs in the governorate.

“At the heart of the partnership is a plan to establish a new co-working space in AlUla where local SMEs and entrepreneurs can access support services to accelerate their growth, helping them succeed through the provision of knowledge and expertise and enhancing the entrepreneurial spirit to contribute to a sustainable, diversified economy in AlUla,” RCU said in a statement.

The agreement, signed by Amr AlMadani, RCU CEO, and Monsha’at Governor Saleh AlRasheed supports the region’s economic growth potential, including key industries such as tourism and agriculture, and reflects the Kingdom’s diversification as part of Vision 2030.

“Once developed, the incubator will facilitate access to established services, including the SME’s Governmental Registration, and support unique investment opportunities within AlUla. It will also bring access to Monsha’at’s services to AlUla,” said the statement.

“This collaboration with Monsha’at enhances AlUla’s economic diversity, building on AlUla’s vision and empowering local entrepreneurs and SMEs within a vibrant society: not only to harvest the benefits of the region’s development, but to be drivers of its transformation,” it quoted AlMadani as saying.

As for AlRasheed, he said the new agreement brings Monsha’at’s expertise and programs in SME incubation together with the extraordinary economic opportunities emerging in AlUla.

“With RCU, we will work to bring global practices in SME support to AlUla,” he added.

According to AlMadani, the SME incubation center aims to become a “Launchpad” for local entrepreneurs to unleash their energy, creativity and synergy to drive AlUla’s development.

This is the most recent in a series of initiatives to create new educational, professional, and developmental opportunities for locals to help them reach their full potential and maximize their contribution as members of the local community.

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Dazzling Ice Castles Draw Tourists to New Hampshire, Other States

Colorful lights shine inside inside the walls of ice at Ice Castles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in North Woodstock, N.H. (AP)
Colorful lights shine inside inside the walls of ice at Ice Castles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in North Woodstock, N.H. (AP)
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Dazzling Ice Castles Draw Tourists to New Hampshire, Other States

Colorful lights shine inside inside the walls of ice at Ice Castles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in North Woodstock, N.H. (AP)
Colorful lights shine inside inside the walls of ice at Ice Castles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in North Woodstock, N.H. (AP)

An annual architectural celebration of ice is up and running again in New Hampshire and several other US states.

Ice Castles, which are both temporary art installations and tourist attractions, feature towers, tunnels, archways and caves, all created by growing, harvesting and arranging thousands of icicles and then blasting them with sprinklers.

The company behind the displays has expanded since its first installation in 2011. This year it has operations in Utah, Minnesota, two locations in Colorado and New Hampshire, where the site includes a snow tubing hill and ice bar. After a mild winter last year, officials were thrilled that temperatures were cold enough to open earlier this season.

"It's one of the biggest ice castles we've ever built," said Jared Henningsen, the company’s vice president for operations. "We're looking at about 25 million pounds of ice spread over two acres."

As a winter storm brought biting cold and wet snow to the South, visitors to the New Hampshire castle bundled up to explore its twists and turns Friday.

Julia Jones of Gloucester, Massachusetts, said she travels to northern New Hampshire several times a year but had not experienced the ice castles until her opening-day visit.

"I've never seen anything like this before," she said. "Honestly I didn't think it was gonna be this big."

Jessica Sullivan, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, also was surprised, and not just by the frozen environment. Her boyfriend, Brian Jacques, proposed to her during their visit.

"It's a beautiful place," said Jacques, who got the "yes" he was hoping for. "I definitely thought, this is the time and place to do it."

By day the walls and other structures shine with a pale blue hue. After darkness falls, lights embedded within the ice glow pink, purple and green.

"Once you enter into an ice castle, you're transitioning into something that's totally immersive and unlike something that most guests have ever seen," Henningsen said. "I think it inspires people."