At-Turaif in Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage site at Diriyah

 

By Jeannette Paulino, Middle East Section Editor

 

EXCLUSIVE LUXURY MAGAZINE had the pleasure of sitting down with Diriyah’s newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer, Abdulrahman Yahya Al-Jefri, a Saudi national who has been deeply embedded in the Kingdom’s transformation journey since the early days of Saudi Vision 2030. In this exclusive conversation, he reveals how culture, community, and immersive programming are at the heart of Diriyah’s evolution, positioning it as a defining luxury cultural destination and one of Saudi Arabia’s most compelling and fast-evolving places to visit.

 

Diriyah: where story of modern Saudi Arabia begins

To learn about Diriyah is to understand the origin story of modern Saudi Arabia.

 

 

Diriyah, is a historic city in the Kingdom’s capital, and one of Saudi Arabia’s giga projects, undergoing a major transformation to be a premier tourism, cultural, and lifestyle destination. With over $63 billion invested, the project aims to attract +50 million yearly visitors by 2030, without losing sight of its roots.

 

Located just outside Riyadh, Diriyah is a 300-year-old historic city that once served as the capital of the First Saudi State, established in 1727. It is the ancestral home of the Al Saud family and the birthplace of the Kingdom itself.

 

Within Diriyah lies At-Turaif, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a beautifully preserved mud-brick citadel, featuring Najdi architectural style, which is a traditional, climate-responsive building style from the Najd region of Saudi Arabia (13th–18th centuries).

 

 

Diriyah: preserving heritage while shaping the future

Unlike many mega-developments in Saudi Arabia, Diriyah is not being built from scratch. It is already home to a community of 100,000 residents, with projections to welcome 100,000 more in the years to come. Diriyah’s masterplan includes residential developments, over 40 hotels, retail spaces, offices, 16 schools, one university, sporting venues, public spaces, a 20,000-seat arena, and Saudi Arabia’s first purpose-built opera house.

 

 

The city within a city as it is often referred to currently welcomes 2 million visits a year and hopes to welcome 50 million long-term visits, a key component of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic diversification plan.

 

When prompted about the recent and current regional tensions, Diriyah’s newest CMO, Abdulrahman Yahya Al-Jefri, reassured that visitation numbers have not slowed. Business in the Kingdom continues as usual. Cafes are buzzling. Folks are shopping and continuing to enjoy multiple forms of entertainment, including at Diriyah.

 

 

Diriyah: creating a destination people emotionally connect to

While the target tourism audience for Diriyah is 70% domestic, Al-Jefri shared that there is a clear ambition to build global relevance.

 

Through a focused international go-to-market strategy, Diriyah aims to unlock new corridors to Diriyah from Europe, the U.S., and Latin America.

 

Al-Jefri was proud to share that Diriyah has a Net Promoter Score of 95, an almost unheard-of number in global tourism.

 

Regardless of where travelers are coming from, Al-Jefri emphasizes the importance of creating a strong emotional connection to the city’s history, one that builds loyalty and encourages repeat visits.

 

So, how do you create that sense of belonging and connection?

 

Through culture.

 

“We are relying a lot on repeated visitation. We’re creating loyalty and repeated visitation, where people feel a connection to the place. That this is their extended living room.”
– Abdulrahman Yahya Al-Jefri

 

 

Diriyah: where culture becomes an immersive luxury experience

Al-Jefri’s role as CMO centers on translating Saudi heritage into immersive, contemporary experiences, designed as products and programming that are participatory, inviting, and deeply human.

 

This includes activating all five senses, flavors, and a myriad of engagement formats, like storytelling, food, craft, seasonal programming, traditional dances where families, children and visitors all join in!

 

 

Seasonal programming is anchored around key national and cultural moments, including Founding Day (February 22), Flag Day (March 11), Saudi National Day (September 23), Ramadan, and Eid, each bringing its own set of curated experiences.

 

Diriyah Season in the wintertime offers a storytelling festival, poetry recitals, animation masterclasses, and culinary activations inspired by regional heritage.

 

One standout example? A food festival that creates dishes inspired by novels, offering an exquisite interplay between cultural narrative and gastronomy.

 

 

Diriyah: from storytelling festivals to starlit desert experiences

Other experiences take place around the mountain base camps, where visitors or residents can partake in horse riding, archery, stargazing, and traditional crafts like embroidery and calligraphy. Immersive activities also include an “escape room” where visitors learn about the history of Diriyah while solving riddles and mysteries.

 

 

Diriyah: a community-centered vision of luxury hospitality

Community is also an imperative component to Diriyah’s alluring formula.

 

“Part of our tradition, our Islamic values, is that you really need to take care of your neighbor. If we want to bring prosperity for a region, we first start with the people of the community.”

– Abdulrahman Yahya Al-Jefri

 

That philosophy shows up in everything, from programming that engages residents and local artisans to showcase and sell their beautiful crafts to the way public spaces are designed to feel lived in.

 

 

Diriyah: global luxury brands meet Saudi Arabia authenticity

Elevating any city for local, regional, or global attraction requires the right partnerships. Diriyah brings together some of the world’s most respected hospitality brands, including the Four Seasons, Capella, The Edition, and Address Hotels, alongside a mix of global and local retailers, like Adidas, Alo Yoga, On Running, and the region’s largest Dolce & Gabbana boutique and café, which is now open In Bujairi Terrace.

 

 

Travel and tourism partnerships involve designing curated Heritage tours and participating in several B2C expos in London and Las Vegas to promote Diriyah’s heritage, cultural, and entertainment offerings globally.

 

And guess what, Miami readers? Lionel Messi has been featured in tourism campaigns highlighting Diriyah, as part of his role as Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador, supporting a broader effort to connect the Kingdom with new global audiences.

 

 

Diriyah: a destination designed to be rediscovered

The conversation with Mr. Abdulrahman Yahya Al-Jefri uncovered new layers to Diriyah. The deeper its cultural allure unfolds, the stronger the pull becomes, leaving a lasting impression beyond the first visit.

 

Diriyah stands out as a special place where heritage is lived and experienced, rather than confined and preserved behind glass in a national museum.

 

Whether people visit for the annual book festival, the activities during the national holidays, or the culinary experiences, if Mr. Al-Jefri has anything to say about it, Diriyah is intentionally designed as a place that is not meant to be visited once, but a place people return to.