L'Arabie saoudite va créer trois parcs d'attractions près de Paris
Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding with France on Monday during a visit to Paris by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to create three amusement parks in the Paris region, one of which will likely be based on the world of manga, the Elysée announced.
Emmanuel Macron celebrated on the X network an "unprecedented announcement": "6 billion euros of Saudi investment", "22,000 direct jobs" expected, "unprecedented since Disneyland Paris".
He referred to "a new global destination", highlighting his own "interest in manga".
This project "was born from a discussion between the President of the Republic and the Crown Prince in December 2024" in Riyadh, when they discovered their "common passion" for manga "and in particular Dragon Ball Z", an advisor from the Elysée reported.
The project will be carried out by Qiddiya Investment Company, a subsidiary of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) dedicated to entertainment, sports and culture.
Discussions to create a Dragon Ball park on the site of the former Mirapolis park, which closed 35 years ago near Paris, had leaked during the summer, without finding official confirmation.
According to the Elysée, it was Mohammed bin Salman who, at the end of 2024, mentioned to the head of state the desire of his sovereign wealth fund to "create amusement parks in different countries of the world", before confirming his desire to consider setting up in France.
"The objective in creating these parks is to attract tourist and visitor audiences who can visit different parks during a stay in the Île-de-France region or in France," it was explained.
The themes of the other two parks have not been specified. They will be built and opened successively, with construction expected to take several years, although no timetable has been set at this stage.
When questioned about awarding the construction of these parks to Riyadh, despite criticism of its human rights record, the French presidency emphasized that France would be the "beneficiary" of the project. "At no point when we attract a project do we seek to lecture others," was the only response they offered.
AFP
Commentaires (6)
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter, TikTok ou Instagram pour l'afficher automatiquement.
Se connecter
Commentez avec votre profil, votre photo, et soyez averti des réponses.