Saudi Arabia to build opera house in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority on Thursday announced that it was set to build an opera house in Riyadh, a local media reported.

The General Entertainment Authority Chief, Ahmad bin Aqeel al-Khatib, said construction of the building had already begun, adding that the house construction was aimed at attaining international standard in the entertainment sector.

al-Khatib said the opera house was part of the 64-billion dollar budget to be spent in the sector in the next 10 years.

He added that the entertainment authority held 2,200 events in 2017 and planned to organise 50,000 in 2018.

Entertainment is one of the sectors Saudi Arabia is banking on to diversify its economy in the post-oil era, mainly attracting local and foreign investments.