TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: Diriyah Company
Headlines lauding Saudi Arabia's bold plans to steer its economy away from oil tend to focus on splashy futuristic projects still years from realization. But Diriyah Gate, a $63 billion tourism development rooted in the Kingdom's rich history, is now partly completed. Built around At-Turaif, a centuries-old desert fortress outside Riyadh, Diriyah Gate melds modern luxuries with the region's traditional mud-brick Najdi architecture. '[W]e're embracing the modernity of technology to enhance' the experience of 300 years of history, says Jerry Inzerillo, group CEO of Diriyah. The first of 37 planned resorts, Marriott Bab Samhan, opened in December; other recent debuts include Diriyah Art Futures, the region's first digital art museum, and Zallal, a shopping and commercial office district. While Diriyah marches toward its planned 2030 completion, one particularly high-profile traveler has already made a visit: President Trump stopped by in May during his first trip abroad of his second term. With more than $1 billion worth of deals with European firms locked in last fall, Diriyah Company is showing that the kingdom's tourism dreams aren't just blueprints. The project, says Inzerillo, will both diversify the economy and reshape the image of a 'young, dynamic nation.'
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