Executives at Saudi Arabia’s giga-project, NEOM, have revealed updated timelines for the multi-billion-dollar development. Some milestones are near-term and well-defined, such as TROJENA, which is set to welcome guests in two years. Others, like THE LINE, are more open-ended.

NEOM is the flagship project of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, an initiative aimed at transforming the country’s economy. It comprises several zones: Magna, OXAGON, Sindalah, TROJENA, and THE LINE, with the potential for more to come.

NEOM has said it wants five million tourists annually by 2030, according to a 2019 press release. Given NEOM’s vast scale, this figure is relatively modest, comparable to annual visitor numbers in Athens or Venice.

Despite this, NEOM’s head of tourism, Niall Gibbons acknowledged the potential for overtourism concerns. "We’re very familiar with the term overtourism now in the industry. For NEOM, we’re keen to develop the concept of ‘under tourism,’" he said. "People want to go to places that are less developed, less well-traveled, and new on the world map. That’s what NEOM brings from a tourism perspective in the years to come."

Gibbons emphasized that the Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia will be the primary sources of visitors in the initial phase, consistent with recent remarks from the country’s Minister of Tourism.

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