The Eastern Province opened the “Bayfront” destination on the Khobar Corniche, coinciding with the launch of the “Downtown Khobar” project on the waterfront, in a move that demonstrates the expansion in the development of urban and tourist destinations, and the promotion of real estate and entertainment investments, which supports the quality of life and raises the attractiveness of the city for residents and visitors.
Last Sunday evening, His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, inaugurated the “Bayfront” destination, which aims to transform public spaces into a vibrant destination that combines entertainment, hospitality and marine activities, as part of efforts to humanize cities, develop waterfronts and provide diverse options for residents and visitors.
His Highness stressed that developing tourist and entertainment destinations contributes to diversifying the available options, supporting economic and tourism activity, and enhancing the quality of life in the cities of the Eastern Province, taking advantage of the natural resources and geographical location of the region on the Arabian Gulf.
For his part, the Secretary of the Eastern Province, Engineer Fahd bin Mohammed Al-Jubair, explained that “Bayfront” offers an integrated experience that combines entertainment, tourism, hospitality and marine activities, noting the Secretariat’s keenness to develop its municipal assets in partnership with the private sector, which contributes to attracting quality investments and creating destinations that meet the aspirations of residents and visitors.
The project is owned by Al-Muhaidib Group and developed by Ajdan Real Estate Development Company, with support and facilitation from the Eastern Province Municipality and the Tourism Development Fund. The destination stretches for one kilometer along the Arabian Gulf and includes four zones featuring restaurants and cafes overlooking the sea, a sandy beach, pedestrian walkways, open spaces, and various recreational facilities.
Essam Al-Muhaidib, CEO of Al-Muhaidib Group, explained that the project takes into account the nature of its coastal location through a design based on open spaces and natural elements, and provides multiple facilities that allow visitors to enjoy diverse experiences on the waterfront, which enhances the appeal of Al-Khobar as a tourist and entertainment destination.
Downtown Al Khobar: An urban project with more than 4,000 residential units
In a related context, Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz sponsored the launch of the “Downtown Khobar” project, belonging to “Downtown Saudi Arabia”, one of the companies of the Public Investment Fund, with the aim of developing an integrated urban destination that combines housing, work, shopping and entertainment on the waterfront of the governorate.
The Governor of the Eastern Province affirmed that the development and investment projects taking place in the region are an extension of the leadership’s interest in comprehensive development, urban development, and economic diversification, stressing the importance of investing in local resources and developing investment opportunities in a way that supports the local economy and meets the aspirations of the population.
The CEO of Downtown Saudi Arabia, Engineer Fahd Al-Hammad, revealed that the project extends over an area of more than 829,000 square meters, and includes more than 4,000 residential units, and more than 500 hotel rooms, in addition to large office, commercial and entertainment spaces.
The project's office spaces exceed 40,000 square meters, while the spaces allocated for shopping, restaurants and cafes exceed 139,000 square meters, in addition to more than 103,000 square meters of green spaces and public gardens, which supports the creation of an integrated urban environment that combines residential, commercial and recreational activities.
Al-Hammad pointed out that the project provides opportunities for growth and investment partnerships, and supports the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors, in addition to providing direct and indirect job opportunities, which enhances sustainable economic development in the Eastern Province.
He added that “Downtown Al Khobar” represents a step towards developing an urban destination that reflects the city’s identity and keeps pace with its future aspirations, within the framework of the efforts of “Downtown Saudi Arabia” to take advantage of the competitive advantages of the Kingdom’s regions and turn them into investment opportunities that enhance their economic attractiveness.
Waterfront development supports quality of life and investment.
The opening of Bayfront and the launch of Downtown Al Khobar reveal a trend towards developing Al Khobar's waterfront through projects ranging from entertainment destinations and tourist facilities to integrated urban complexes. This also highlights the role of partnerships between government entities and the private sector in developing municipal assets and attracting investments, thereby expanding the options available to residents and visitors and supporting economic activities related to tourism, hospitality, and commerce.
Both projects combine improving the urban landscape and taking advantage of the city’s coastal location, but with different characteristics; “Bayfront” focuses on marine and recreational activities, while “Downtown Al Khobar” aims to create a multi-use destination that includes housing, offices, hotels, shopping and green spaces.
At the conclusion of the launch ceremony of “Downtown Al Khobar”, the Governor of the Eastern Province honored the supporting entities, in the presence of Prince Saud bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Eastern Province, and Engineer Ibrahim Mohammed Al Sultan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of “Downtown Saudi Arabia”.
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