Saudi Arabia's heritage destination Al Ula is reopening on October 31, with locals getting a sneak-peek one day early. Courtesy RCU
Saudi Arabia's heritage destination Al Ula is reopening on October 31, with locals getting a sneak-peek one day early. Courtesy RCU
Saudi Arabia's heritage destination Al Ula is reopening on October 31, with locals getting a sneak-peek one day early. Courtesy RCU
Saudi Arabia's heritage destination Al Ula is reopening on October 31, with locals getting a sneak-peek one day early. Courtesy RCU

Saudi Arabia's Al Ula reopening this month

The historically rich region reopens to the public on October 31, with residents getting access one day earlier

Hayley Skirka
Hayley Skirka

October 15, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi Arabia's Unesco-listed Al Ula will reopen to visitors on October 31.

The open-air museum will begin welcoming visitors again in a staggered manner, with some of its historical sites opening before others.

Among the first heritage sites to reopen will be the Nabatean treasures of Hegra, the ancient kingdom of Dadan and the canyons of Jabal Ikmah, which have been predominantly closed for two years.

Al Ula residents will be the first to explore the reopened sites. On Friday, October 30, before the public is given access, local residents are invited to visit Al Ula free of charge. Entry will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

“We have a full team on-site to get the destination ready to welcome those first visitors and we’re excited to give the local community a chance to revisit their heritage sites before the rest of the world, while we continue to build on the experiences," said Phillip Jones, chief destination management and marketing officer at Royal Commission Al Ula (RCU).

Visitors can explore Saudi Arabia's first heritage site of Hegra, where giant tombs were carved into the sandstone by the Nabateans. In Dadan, the archaeological remains of a first millennium BC city that grew wealthy as a caravan waystation are on show, while Jabal Ikmah houses canyons filled with a trove of important wall-carvings.

Dadan will be among one of the first sites to reopen to the public. Courtesy RCU
Dadan will be among one of the first sites to reopen to the public. Courtesy RCU

Non-residents can visit Al Ula from Saturday, October 31. More information on opening times and ticket prices will be available online.

More immersive experiences and adventure expeditions in the region are set to be announced over the coming weeks.

In December, Al Ula Old Town, which was first inhabited in the 12th century AD, will open to the public for the first time. Other visitor experiences set to be introduced include stargazing, storytelling and dune buggy rides.

During its closure, authorities have worked to improve the region's transport system. Several enhancements have been made at the local airport and new transport links between heritage sites have now been introduced. There are also two new visitor centres for those who want to find out more about the local history, culture and surrounding region.

Covid-19 safety measures

In order to try to protect visitors from the coronavirus, several new safety measures have been implemented in the region. These include mandatory pre-booking of tickets, temperature checks at the airport, social distancing and limitations of visitors at heritage and other sites, increased sanitation measures and mandatory mask-wearing.

  • A new photography competition aims to get locals involved in capturing the beauty of Saudi Arabia's Al Ula. All pictures courtesy RCU
    A new photography competition aims to get locals involved in capturing the beauty of Saudi Arabia's Al Ula. All pictures courtesy RCU
  • Keen photographers in Al Ula are invited to submit pictures that show the beauty of the historic region.
    Keen photographers in Al Ula are invited to submit pictures that show the beauty of the historic region.
  • The contest has five categories: Nature, Monumental, People, Design and Adventure.
    The contest has five categories: Nature, Monumental, People, Design and Adventure.
  • Judges are seeking images of Al Ula's historic monuments.
    Judges are seeking images of Al Ula's historic monuments.
  • Winners will get a Dh9,793 commission and a state of the art camera.
    Winners will get a Dh9,793 commission and a state of the art camera.
  • Images that reflect Al Ula's activities can be submitted in the Adventure category.
    Images that reflect Al Ula's activities can be submitted in the Adventure category.
  • The region of Al Ula is gearing up to reopen to the public in October.
    The region of Al Ula is gearing up to reopen to the public in October.

International visitors cannot yet visit Saudi Arabia because of coronavirus restrictions but Al Ula is creating an integrated booking system designed to make it easier for travellers to visit once tourism visas are issued again.

People can reach the region in north-west Saudi Arabia by air or road. Saudia Airlines fly direct to Al Ula from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. For those who prefer to go by land, it's a three-hour drive from Madinah, a seven-hour drive from Jeddah and a 10-hour journey from Riyadh. Al Ula is also located less than a three-hour drive from Saudi's Red Sea, another draw for people planning a visit.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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