24 June 2016
JEDDAH: Experts who have been closely following the visit of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to America described the signing of recent agreements as concrete steps toward investment in entertainment. Their remarks came following the signing of an agreement in San Francisco on Tuesday with SeaWorld Entertainment, which specializes in aquatic activities and entertainment, to open branches in the Kingdom.

"The visit of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the US is the beginning of a new economic era, through which the policies of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman seek to realize a new and bright future for the people. Hence comes the beginning of investments by American companies in our country," economist Rabie Al-Hassan was quoted as saying in a local publication. He added the announcement of the two agreements with Six Flags and SeaWorld, the oldest and the largest in the entertainment industry, represents the first move and action by the newly established Saudi Authority for Entertainment to implement entertainment plans for Saudi society. "The visit of Prince Mohammed to the US can be described as inclusive from day one in Washington.

The visit focused on cooperation and political, military and economic agreements, as well as entertainment," he said. He noted that SeaWorld was established in 1964, and owns six aquatic theme parks for entertainment in the US, and plans to increase them to 11 in the future. Abdul Aziz Al-Goinem said the recreational agreements with the US companies is the right step in view of the fact that 90 percent of the world entertainment market is supplied by American products including cinematography, video games and entertainment cities.

"Today, we can't ignore the American role in the global entertainment industry through its cinema or video games that have spread throughout the world, and the other entertainment facilities that have possessed long and entrenched traditions for many years, which qualifies them to invest in and transfer that experience to a community where the proportion of young people is more than 70 percent, according to recent official statistics," said Al-Goinem.

He asserted that SeaWorld is very important and as strong as the other entertainment companies, but with excellence and expertise in aquatic-themed activities, owning approximately 89,000 aquatic animals in its parks and recreational waterways, and making it one of the most important companies to invest in the Kingdom, especially in the coastal areas of the Kingdom.

© Arab News 2016