The GCC Journal

Building for Expo 2030: The Projects Reshaping Riyadh

From a 6 million square meter Expo site to a new international airport, the Saudi capital is undergoing a transformation designed to outlast any single event

When Riyadh won the right to host World Expo 2030 in November 2023, defeating bids from Busan and Rome with 119 of 165 votes, the announcement set in motion one of the largest concentrated infrastructure buildouts anywhere in the world. The six-month event, running from October 1, 2030 to March 31, 2031, is expected to attract more than 42 million visits and bring together 197 nations. But the real story is what is being built to make it happen, and what will remain long after the last pavilion closes.

The Public Investment Fund forecasts that Expo 2030 will contribute $64 billion to GDP during the construction phase alone, generate around 171,000 jobs, and add a further $5.6 billion once operational. More than 100,000 new hotel rooms are planned to accommodate global visitors. The scale is vast, but it is deliberately designed to serve the city’s long-term ambitions, not just a single event.

Here are the key development projects driving Riyadh’s Expo transformation.

The Expo Site

A 6 million square meter site designed by LAVA, with a post-Expo life as a permanent “Global Village”

The Expo site sits in northern Riyadh, near the upcoming King Salman International Airport, and covers approximately 6 million square meters. The master plan, designed by German architecture studio LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture), rejects the rectilinear grids of traditional expo grounds in favor of an organic layout shaped by the natural contours of Wadi Al Sulai. Five petal-like districts radiate from a central plaza, connected by bridges and a network of climate-responsive cool routes.

Progress is accelerating. More than 1.5 million square meters have been leveled so far (roughly 25% of the total site), and construction contracts have been awarded to four national companies for site preparation and infrastructure. Nesma and Partners secured the main utilities and civil works package, covering 50 km of infrastructure networks including water, sewage, electrical systems, EV charging stations, and communications. Bids are currently open for three new power substations to support the site’s electricity demand. Construction on the Saudi Pavilion and Iconic Pavilion is expected to begin in Q3 2026, with participating country pavilions breaking ground by mid-year.

King Salman International Airport

A new aviation mega-hub targeting 120 million passengers by 2030

No Expo of this scale can function without a world-class airport, and Riyadh is building one from scratch. King Salman International Airport (KSIA), master planned by Foster + Partners, is designed to handle 120 million passengers annually by 2030, with an ultimate capacity of 185 million by 2050. The site sits adjacent to the Expo grounds, making the two projects deeply interdependent.

The airport will also serve as the home base for Riyadh Air, the Kingdom’s new national carrier, which is currently building out its route network ahead of commercial launch. Together with the expansion of Saudia’s operations, KSIA is designed to position Riyadh as one of the largest aviation hubs in the world, a permanent piece of infrastructure that will serve the city for decades beyond the Expo.

Riyadh Metro and Expo Station

A new station on Line 4 to connect the Expo site to the city’s transit network

The Riyadh Metro, a SAR 94 billion network spanning six lines, 176 km, and 85 stations, became fully operational with the launch of its final Orange Line earlier this year. It is designed to move over 3 million passengers daily and will serve as the primary mass transit backbone for Expo visitors.

The dedicated Expo station, currently out to tender, will be built on Line 4 and is expected to provide direct connectivity between the Expo site, the wider city, and King Salman International Airport. For a city that was entirely car-dependent just a few years ago, the metro represents a generational shift in how Riyadh moves.

Hospitality Expansion

From 400,000 rooms to 854,000 by 2030

Hosting 42 million visits over six months requires an enormous expansion of hotel capacity. Saudi Arabia currently has approximately 400,000 hotel rooms nationwide and is targeting 854,000 by 2030, with more than 100,000 new rooms planned specifically to support Expo traffic. The $1 billion hospitality platform announced at FII Priority Miami this week (a partnership between Patel Family Office and AHQ to build 50 hotels across the Kingdom) is just one example of the private capital flowing into this pipeline.

The hospitality buildout is reinforced by the Kingdom’s broader tourism momentum. Saudi Arabia welcomed 106.2 million visitors in 2023, far surpassing initial Vision 2030 targets, and is now aiming for 150 million by 2030. An expanded e-visa program covering 66 countries, along with the launch of Riyadh Air, is designed to make international access to the capital faster and simpler than ever.

Green Riyadh and King Salman Park

Transforming Riyadh’s livability ahead of 2030

Expo 2030 does not exist in isolation. It sits within a broader program of urban greening and livability projects that are reshaping Riyadh’s identity. The Green Riyadh program aims to plant over 7.5 million trees across the capital, increasing green cover from 1.7 to 28 square meters per capita. King Salman Park, which secured $3.8 billion in new investment commitments at MIPIM 2026, will span over 13 square kilometers in the heart of the city and is projected to welcome more than 50 million visitors annually. Meanwhile, the Sports Boulevard project stretches 135 km through the capital, creating a continuous corridor of cycling paths, running tracks, and recreational spaces.

These projects serve a dual purpose. They directly improve the quality of life for Riyadh’s growing population (the city is targeting 15 to 20 million residents by 2030), and they reshape how the capital is perceived by the millions of international visitors who will encounter it during the Expo. The goal is for people to arrive expecting a desert city and leave having experienced an increasingly green, walkable, and culturally rich urban environment.

The Bigger Picture

An Expo designed to outlive itself

The most important design decision behind Expo 2030 Riyadh may be the one that governs what happens after the event ends. Unlike past Expos that left host cities with fragmented infrastructure and underused pavilions, the Riyadh site is conceived from the outset as a permanent district. Once the Expo winds down in March 2031, the site will transition into a “Global Village,” a residential, cultural, and retail neighborhood integrated into Riyadh’s urban fabric.

The pattern is deliberate. The airport, the metro, the hotel rooms, and the green spaces are not temporary solutions. They are permanent investments in a city that is betting its future on becoming one of the world’s great capitals. Expo 2030 is the deadline, but the city being built around it is the real project.