LOC12:59
09:59 GMT
RIYADH, Feb 22 (KUNA) -- A 240-billion Saudi Riyal (USD 64 billion) opera house will open in the western Saudi city of Jeddah, said the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Thursday.
During an event to launch the 2018 entertainment calendar, GEA chairman Ahmad Al-Khatib said that the opera house will be an integral part of the authority's decade-long plan in Saudi Arabia.
The public and private funding will finance the construction of the facility, he added.
Al-Khatib revealed that the GEA had helped in the employment of 17,000 Saudis with plans to bring the number up to 220,000.
He affirmed that the entrainment industry was growing, noting that some 500 entrainment companies have registered through the GEA in 2017. (end)
mdm.gta