Saudi Arabia Investing In 3 Paris Theme Parks

[CoasterGuy36]

"France and Saudi Arabia on Monday signed an agreement for the oil-rich Gulf kingdom to invest €6 billion to create three amusement parks near Paris, including one likely to be a manga-themed park, the French presidential office said. The announcement came during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit focused on bilateral deals and the current crisis in the Middle East."

Saudi Arabia to invest €6 billion in theme parks near Paris, Macron says

France and Saudi Arabia on Monday signed an agreement for the oil-rich Gulf kingdom to invest €6 billion to create three amusement parks near Paris, including one likely to be a manga-themed park, the…

www.france24.com

 

[Remix]

I'm not quite sure what to think about this. On the one hand, Saudi Arabia has already shown that it can build some genuinely impressive entertainment projects, with things like Falcons Flight being a good example. The idea of a huge Dragon Ball-themed park near Paris certainly sounds exciting on paper.

On the other hand, it's difficult to separate this kind of investment from Saudi Arabia's broader image and human-rights record. There are still serious and well-documented concerns surrounding the country, and I can't help but wonder whether projects like these are also intended to improve Saudi Arabia's international image, essentially a form of whitewashing or soft power.

That said, I think a lot will depend on who actually controls and operates these theme parks. If Saudi Arabia is primarily providing the investment while French or other international companies retain operational control, and the parks are fully subject to French and EU laws and regulations, I'd view it somewhat differently than if a Saudi state-backed entity directly controls everything from management to content, so I'm not necessarily opposed to the parks themselves. A Dragon Ball theme park near Paris could be absolutely fantastic. I'm just rather cautious about the bigger picture and what role these projects play in Saudi Arabia's attempt to reshape its image internationally.

 

[Berksfan]

Are they still doing the dragonball theme park in Qiddiyah? Are they investing elsewhere because tourism isn't picking up how they'd like in SA.

 

[roomraider]

Are they still doing the dragonball theme park in Qiddiyah? Are they investing elsewhere because tourism isn't picking up how they'd like in SA.

France consumes more Manga and Anime that any other country in Europe apparently so I can see why they'd go for Paris. But I see this more as a advertising tactic to a certain extent.

The smaller park in Paris feeding into the much larger park in SA perhaps.