SEVEN Announces SAR1.1 Billion Entertainment Destination in Saudi Arabia's Yanbu

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)
Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)
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SEVEN Announces SAR1.1 Billion Entertainment Destination in Saudi Arabia's Yanbu

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)
Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been awarded AL BAWANI CO. LTD and UCC Saudi joint venture contract to build the new entertainment destination in Yanbu.

Construction is already underway in the historic port located on the Kingdom’s western coast on the Red Sea, a statement released by SEVEN said.

With an investment value of over SAR1.1 billion, SEVEN’s entertainment destination in Yanbu is located along the seafront promenade on Al Nawras Island. The entertainment destination will offer visitors a wide variety of experiences designed to engage all age groups from the local community and the surrounding areas.

According to the statement, the project is designed by Gensler, a global architecture, design and planning firm. The architecture of this entertainment destination is inspired by the city’s heritage. The design is a celebration of water, with elements of the beach and the sea threaded throughout.

“Our entertainment destination in Yanbu will provide residents and visitors with a wealth of new and exciting experiences while supporting the city’s rapidly developing entertainment sector. SEVEN’s entertainment destination is inspired by Yanbu’s beautiful natural seascape, embodying the city’s rich history as one of the oldest ports in the Kingdom,” said Chairman of SEVEN Abdullah AlDawood.

According to AL BAWANI CO. LTD. Chairman and Group CEO Fakher Al Shawaf, “SEVEN’s investment will help Yanbu’s growing population meet its entertainment needs. AL BAWANI is well-positioned to deliver this unique destination to meet the ever-growing aspirations of Saudis."

UCC Holding President Ramez Al-Khayyat said the company will "leverage our extensive experience in building entertainment destinations to deliver the project on time, to the highest international standards.”

SEVEN Yanbu will be home to a highly immersive carnival-themed family entertainment center with world class rides. Other attractions will include a Clip ‘n Climb facility providing 30 climbing challenges, a junior family entertainment center, a state-of-the-art 10-screen cinema, a futuristic 10-lane bowling experience, a fun-filled indoor golf course, and a wide variety of local and international retail and dining experiences, the statement said.

SEVEN is investing more than SAR50 billion to build 21 entertainment destinations to provide unique and innovative world-class entertainment experiences; it has secured global partnerships from the sector.

SEVEN has recently announced that it had begun construction at its entertainment destinations in Al Hamra districts of Riyadh and Tabuk. Its upcoming projects are located in 14 cities across the Kingdom: Riyadh, Kharj, Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Dammam, Khobar, Al Ahsa, Madinah, Yanbu, Abha, Jazan, Buraidah and Tabuk.



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.