Located at the crossroads of three continents with an area of 26,500km in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is found the ambitious city of the future, NEOM. With a leadership vision that doesn’t believe in the impossible. NEOM City will be a welcoming home to every project and individual who possesses the talent, knowledge, and ability to dream and create a new reality. Did you know that 70% of the world's population will be able to reach the city of NEOM within a maximum of 8 hours? The site of NEOM also has a unique temperate weather, about 10 degrees cooler than the surrounding areas, in addition to the diversity of its terrain.
The giant investment city NEOM project was launched on October 24, 2017, by Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and has been ranked among the top 5 tourism projects in the Middle East. As for the name, the word "Neom" is made of two parts, the first part is "neo", from the Greek neos, which means new, and the second part is "m” an abbreviation of the word "mostaqbal” which means future in Arabic.
The NEOM city project received acknowledgement and support from the Saudi Investment Fund, in addition to opening the doors for investment to local and international investors by creating an appropriate environment. Starting with the work of a developed legal and judicial system that is in harmony with international norms, and that stimulates economic growth, as the project will be independent of the Kingdom’s systems except for the sovereign ones.
Announced in July 2022, The Line is one of the most ambitious projects in NEOM. Aimed to revolutionize the way cities are designed, The Line will have no roads, cars, or emissions and will completely be run on renewable energy. Designed in a way to preserve nature and minimize its footprint, The Line's infrastructure will run 200 meters wide, 170 kilometers long, and 500 meters high. Prioritizing health and wellbeing on every level, the expected 9 million residents will be living in a truly revolutionary city.
At a time when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its economy and future opportunities, the NEOM project will increase the Kingdom's gross domestic product. In this article, we look at the most important sectors and industries that will flourish in the city of NEOM:
- Health, Well-being and Biotechnology: NEOM aims to establish an integrated system for the health, well-being, and biotechnologies sector that transcends the traditional boundaries of health care, based on a unique and direct system centered entirely on the individual. Relying on innovative technologies, health follow-ups of individuals will be remote. In NEOM there will be a group of health services throughout the house, where all vital signs in the body are monitored regularly, and if the individual is exposed to a specific infection, health services will be in an interactive state to treat it immediately, as if in a hospital.
- Technical and digital sciences: Technology is the foundation on which NEOM is based, virtual reality is no less important than tangible reality. These technologies will be harnessed to improve the quality of life through their use in the fields of education, health, and mobility.
- Design and construction: NEOM will redefine the construction sector by developing an exemplary model for planning, designing, and building future societies, while preserving the principle of sustainability in every detail.
- Entertainment and Culture: The entertainment and culture sector is dedicated to making NEOM a global meeting place for creative minds in the field of culture and entertainment, redefining the development of societies, how people interact with new experiences, and setting plans to develop the future of this sector.
- Tourism: The unique climate of the city of Neom, due to its geographical location, is one of the most important factors that prepare it as a destination for tourism and entertainment. In addition to the picturesque beaches and towering mountains overlooking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, tourists will be able to enjoy the snow-covered mountain tops in the winter. The urban-designed tourism project The Line will be the latest revolution in the world of tourism, leading the world in sustainability because it is free of pollution and use of cars. As for wildlife, lands and areas have been rehabilitated to embrace terrestrial and marine creatures again. All of this makes NEOM a destination that attracts travelers seeking to enjoy unique experiences.
- Food: NEOM intends to change the future of the food industry by creating a new and creative way to feed the world all while creating a positive impact on the planet. NEOM is attracting experts from around the world to develop methods of growing crops, processing food, distributing, and consuming it, to lead the world in food self-sufficiency.
- Media: Media plays a major role in forming ideas, influencing beliefs and opinions, and even in raising generations. The media is the fourth authority and the soft power that influences attitudes and minds. Based on that, NEOM has been keen on paying attention to the traditional and new media sector, as it intends to build an unprecedented global center that embraces creators under one platform. The technologies of this global center will be integrated with its media to enhance the concept of cooperation and show the power of interconnected technologies in the production of content for the film, television, electronic games, and digital publishing industries.
There are more industries that the city of NEOM plans to develop, such as education, sports, water, and transportation, whose results we will see with the completion of the first phase of establishing the city in 2025.
The city of NEOM bears the slogan “Made to Change” and it implements this slogan by adopting the idea of change and creating a prosperous future not only for the city and for the Kingdom, but for the whole world. Do you work in one of the industries expected to flourish in NEOM? Stay tuned for our article on the career opportunities that NEOM will offer that will enable you to join this charming city’s workforce.
