Riyadh – Today, at the inaugural TOURISE Summit in Riyadh, URWLD (‘Your World’) is delighted to announce that its first destination sports, leisure and lifestyle-entertainment venue in the Middle East will be in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia’s capital city.

TOURISE is the world's premier platform for shaping the future of global tourism, bringing together global leaders from across multiple sectors to redefine the industry.

With discovery, personal development and community at its heart, URWLD will offer an immersive experience like no other. An inspiring, energised and highly active environment boasting more than a dozen adventure sports and experiences from around the world in one indoor facility, URWLD combines elevated hospitality with lifestyle-inspired food and drink experiences, appealing to both adventure-seeking participants and non-participants alike.

For the past two years URWLD has been working closely with key government stakeholders in Saudi Arabia, including, among others, the Ministry of Investment (MISA) and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA).

Set to open ahead of 2030, today’s announcement for Riyadh marks the first step in URWLD’s anticipated multi-site, multi-format platform across the Kingdom, with facilities planned in other key cities and locations, such as Jeddah, likely to follow.

“Every adventure starts with a first step.”

Acting as a “first step” for many, URWLD Riyadh will offer access to adventure sports like indoor surfing, scuba diving, climbing, bouldering and archery, alongside some of Saudi Arabia’s first indoor ice climbing, canyoning-coasteering and caving facilities, catering to beginners, enthusiasts, elite users and spectators alike.

Chef-inspired food, beverage and hospitality concepts – all with a strong local influence – will be seamlessly integrated and enjoy views of the activities. Complementing the guest experience will be wellness studios, retail shops, private event spaces and an array of programming, including specialised content and live events throughout the year and highly immersive virtual reality experiences.

Kevin Bacon, URWLD’s Co-Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, said, “With consumers leading healthier lifestyles, broadening their horizons and seeking more immersive, interactive experiences, URWLD truly believes the next twenty years will represent ‘The Active Age’. We are proud to be establishing the Middle East’s first URWLD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and are committed to playing our part, within the Kingdom’s incredibly exciting and fast-growing sporting-entertainment landscape, to deliver exceptional experiences and offer new and exciting pathways for people to be active in a fun and inspiring way.”

Embracing hospitality- and technology-led approaches, URWLD Riyadh expects to create 500+ full- and part-time jobs, as well as becoming a host venue for all manner of events, competitions, tournaments and festivals, including corporate away-days and conference type activities.

Justin Beavis said “URWLD’s entire business is fundamentally centred around people discovering themselves, encouraging them to try something new, find a new hobby or interest, while hopefully building skills, abilities and confidences, and, most importantly, meeting others and creating community. We look forward to URWLD playing a small part in creating a thriving active leisure market across Saudi Arabia”.

ABOUT URWLD  (‘Your World’)

“Experiences shape us. Moments define us. We are made of our stories. Welcome to URWLD.”

Global trends – undeniably – are driving a massive boom in active lifestyles. At the same time, not only are consumers craving immersive and interactive experiences, but ever-evolving realities are playing out towards an unavoidable, more digital, AR and AI-enabled world.

Recognising humanity’s vital need to ‘detach’ – be that socially, physically, emotionally or mentally – URWLD truly believes real-world activities are more valuable and important than ever before.

The global market for active leisure continues to grow at a pace that has never been seen before. Only last week, Allied Market Research valued the extreme tourism market at $30.5 billion in 2024, estimating it to reach $99.7 billion by 2034.

That said, while passion pursuits continue to experience enormous growth around the world, the reality remains that significant barriers impede, prevent and prohibit participation for most people.

One mission - URWLD brings the wonder of outdoor adventure to a city near you.

URWLD seeks to democratise the world of active leisure… enabling sports, experiences and activities – often considered ‘out-of-reach’ – to become available and accessible to everyday lives.

Embracing a hospitality-led approach to create unparalleled, experiential and high quality destination venues, URWLD’s facilities bring together market relevant collections of adventure and lifestyle-oriented sports, activities and experiences – such as canyoning, surfing, ice climbing, caving, scuba diving, climbing and VR - along with high quality food and beverage, complementary retail offers and an array of event spaces, as a seamless guest experience, all under one roof.

With ‘discovery’, ‘personal development’ and ‘community’ at the heart, and underpinned by its proprietary “Initiative – Improve – Inspire” DNA, URWLD is committed to getting people – of all ages, abilities and leisure preferences – active in a fun and inspiring way.

Safe, controlled and fully inclusive environments are carefully designed to capture intrigue, inspire participation and make the world of the ‘great outdoors’ available to everyone.

Over the years ahead, supported by a defined strategic plan with a business model and customer-centric operations underpinned by data, content and media, URWLD aims to become one of the world’s leading players in the active leisure sector, with a platform comprising both company-owned facilities and those delivered through licensing, alliances and partnerships.

Focusing on major cities around the world, with initial flagship facilities planned for Denver, Colorado (part of Fox Park, a 40-acre, mixed-use development), Scottsdale, Arizona, and Dallas, Texas, and a strong development pipeline forming, URWLD sees potential for at least 40 venues across the US.

Internationally, URWLD already has strategic frameworks, either established or being formed, for selected international territories, including Australia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Alongside Riyadh, planning is actively underway for destination venues in Melbourne, Australia, and Bangkok, Thailand.

For more information visit www.urwld.com 

FURTHER DETAILS AND APPROVED QUOTES

“Building on our international growth strategy, we are truly excited to be advancing our plans to develop URWLD in Riyadh,” said Justin Beavis, URWLD’s Co-Founder and Chief Development and Commercial Officer. “Things can often take time to make happen, compounded with Riyadh having a very unique and evolving landscape, however, we are delighted that opportunities now appear to have aligned.”

“We really are thrilled that URWLD has decided to develop the first of its Middle East venues, not only in Saudi Arabia, but, specifically, in Riyadh,” said Majed Aleid, Director for Entertainment at MISA. “The Ministry has enjoyed working with the URWLD team as they have diligently evaluated the market.”

Majed AlGhanim, MISA’s Managing Director and General Manager for Tourism and Quality of Life, added, “This agreement exemplifies the remarkable synergy among government entities, with MISA, GEA, and others joining forces to bring to life a highly strategic player in the global entertainment landscape. We are confident that URWLD will stand as a model of effective public–private collaboration, advancing the sector’s strategic objectives and investment ambitions.”

Seeking to align with and support key objectives of Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life Program and the National Sports Strategy, URWLD Riyadh hopes to play its part in encouraging people of all ages, abilities and leisure preferences to ‘try something new’ and take part in sports, activities and experiences, many of which are often only accessible during vacations, holidays or weekend travels.

Nora AlGwaiz, Acting Associate General Manager for Investments and Destinations at GEA commented, “Known today for global events and world-class experiences, Saudi Arabia is proud to be revolutionising and leading one of the fastest growing sports and entertainment industries in the world. Complementing our vision, URWLD’s unique offerings and guest experiences will be a valuable long-term addition to Riyadh’s sports, leisure and entertainment landscape, providing high quality facilities and helping attract people from all around.”

With at least two of URWLD’s sports now featured in the Olympics, URWLD hopes to collaborate with organisations, such as the Saudi Sports Federation, the Saudi Games and Sports for All, among others, to help promote awareness of activities, encourage new consumer participation, and provide exciting pathways for people to be active in a fun and inspiring way.

Laith Khayyat, Executive Director of Strategy & PMO at MAHD Sports Academy, said,

“We value URWLD’s visionary approach to advancing sports facilities in Saudi Arabia. Though our disciplines differ, we share a unified goal to nurture the next generation of athletic talent and strengthen the Kingdom's sporting landscape.”

“URWLD Riyadh will represent a sizeable leisure operation with many diverse and rewarding employment opportunities. We are looking forward to collaborating with stakeholders from across Saudi Arabia, including schools, colleges, universities and community groups, as well as sports federations and governing bodies,” commented John Rogers, URWLD’s General Manager for the Middle East.

Whether in Riyadh, or within its city-based venues across other countries, URWLD intends to collaborate with partners to help provide a window to raise further awareness and promote many of Saudi Arabia’s other tourism and leisure-oriented destinations.

ABOUT TOURISE

TOURISE is the world’s premier platform shaping a new horizon for global tourism.

Under the umbrella of the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, powered by the Saudi Tourism Authority, the inaugural TOURISE Summit will take place November 11–13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The event will convene visionaries from government, business, investment, tourism, and technology to drive transformative deals and deliver high-impact initiatives that redefine the future of the global tourism industry.

TOURISE ensures worldwide participation while offering access to decision-makers shaping the industry’s evolution. Following the Summit, TOURISE will continue as a year-round platform where bold ideas turn into real-world solutions.

This is where the next 50 years of tourism are shaped. Together, we are unstoppable.

For more information visit www.tourise.com

Media contact:   press@urwld.com