King Salman Ben Abdelaziz of Saudi Arabia chose the Neom region in the west of the country, far from the city of Tangier, where he spent part of the summer each year.
According to the Saudi press, the sovereign has decided, as last year, not to go to Morocco, he who loves his palace in Tangier with its famous breathtaking view of the ocean…
Several media outlets have explained this decision by the tensions that have shaken Moroccan-Saudi relations following Saudi Arabia’s campaign against Morocco during its race to host the 2026 World Cup. Even if the tensions have eased, the wound is still open.
But other sources have estimated that King Salman has decided not to leave the petromonarchy because of the tensions weighing on the royal family because of Crown Prince Mohamed Ben Salman. The latter made the headlines in the international press because of the Khashoggi case. The Saudi sovereign would thus have decided not to leave the country, in order to calm disputes within the royal family and to manage this sensitive period.
In 2017, some 900 rooms in 5-star hotels were booked and 400 luxury cars were rented in Tangier by the Saudis during King Salman’s holiday.
The city of Neom, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, is located near the border with Jordan and Egypt. It is a futuristic megalopolis built on the shores of the Red Sea. This city of nearly 26,500 km² is part of the Saudi strategy of 2030 led by the Crown Prince, MBS. It aims to create a megacity entirely managed by artificial intelligence.
Article complet King Salman will not spend his holidays in Tangier Sur L'Express.
