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Saudi Arabia Plans Huge Adventure Tourism Oil Rig Facility
THE RIG is located 40 km offshore, close to Al Juraid Island and the Berri Oil Field in the Arabian Gulf.
Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans for a groundbreaking adventure tourism project known as THE RIG, which takes inspiration from offshore oil platforms, and is poised to become the world’s first adventure tourism hub. The development is led by the Oil Park Development Company (OPDC), and is set to revolutionize marine sports and global adventure tourism.
Aligned with the goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, THE RIG aims to strengthen the nation’s tourism sector, create job opportunities, attract investments, and diversify the economy. The expansive facility, covering an area of 300,000 square meters, is strategically positioned approximately 40 kilometers off the coastline, near Al Juraid Island and the Berri Oil Field in the Arabian Gulf.

Raed Bakhrji, CEO of OPDC, envisions THE RIG as a magnet for an estimated 900,000 visitors annually by the year 2032, drawing individuals from domestic, regional, and international backgrounds.
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THE RIG will feature three hotels, collectively offering 800 rooms, along with 11 dining establishments, a marina, helipads, and an extreme sports and adventure park. The extensive array of water-based activities comprises a diving center, amusement park, splash park, eSports center, immersive theater, and a versatile arena, ensuring a multifaceted and exhilarating experience for all visitors.
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LUVED Is A New Curated Preloved Marketplace For The UAE
Sellers keep 100 percent of every sale and AI can build a listing in five seconds — though the app’s smartest tools are still coming.
Secondhand shopping has become mainstream in the UAE, but the experience is still scattered across resale sites, social media and informal group chats. LUVED, a mobile-first marketplace that launched in Dubai this month, is betting it can pull that activity into one place — and that the thing buyers and sellers actually want is not more inventory, but trust.
The app trades in what it calls circular luxury: preloved fashion and lifestyle pieces across men’s, women’s and children’s categories, bought, sold or given away peer to peer. Its main pitch is economics, with sellers keeping 100 percent of every sale under a zero-commission, fast payout model, while buyers are promised vetted pieces at lower prices.
Where LUVED is staking its reputation is verification. Sellers pass a KYC check, and items run through a two-layer authentication system powered by Entrupy that pairs instant AI screening with human expert review for high-value pieces. Authenticity certificates travel with each item, payments sit in escrow, and a buyer-protection package the company calls The Safety Net adds a 48-hour return window and dispute resolution. Door-to-door logistics removes the in-person meetups that make most resale deals awkward.
An in-app assistant called Luvbot — offering selling insights and demand-based recommendations — is soon to be introduced to the platform. Other features include autofill and dynamic pricing that lets users build a listing in as little as five seconds from three photos, plus a swipe-based feed, story-style drops and in-app chat in English and Arabic. Finally, a gifting layer, Luved & Gifted, lets users pass items to others inside the app rather than sell them.
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“After moving to Dubai, I saw how difficult it was to sell or even give things away,” says founder and CEO Shaima Sibtain. The friction is real, and so is the competition. In resale, trust is won transaction by transaction — and that is the test LUVED has set itself.
The app is live on the App Store now, with Google Play to follow. The company also plans to expand across the region, which will be the real test for a marketplace staking everything on trust.
