Saudi Arabia is now home to the world’s tallest and fastest rollercoaster after US-based Six Flags opened its first theme park outside North America in the kingdom. The successful $1bn construction of Six Flags Qiddiya City is a step forward for the country’s rulers after a series of its futuristic gigaprojects have been hit by setbacks.

The complex is one of five gigaprojects that seek to help the diversification push by investing in promising new sectors for the country, such as tourism and entertainment.

After some of the PIF’s gigaprojects, including its flagship futuristic development NEOM, were hit by delays and budget overruns, the fund said last year that it had to make an $8bn writedown of their value by the end of 2024. King Salman of Saudi Arabia unveiled the Qiddiya project in 2018 and the first phase was supposed to open in 2022.

Despite the delays, Saudi officials are optimistic that the opening will help attract tourists and convince citizens to spend their money inside the country instead of abroad.

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