KSA Ministry of Tourism

A cinematic, multi-sensory journey through four immersive worlds capturing the spirit and diversity of Saudi Arabia’s 13 regions.

In July 2022, a new experience was installed at the Experience Center for the Ministry of Tourism headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Commissioned by SBCM (Saudi Building & Construction Management), Tellart was invited to create an experience aligned with the nation’s vision: to “create emotional connection and fuel curiosity about this land.” In collaboration with AAID, desert INK, and Designlab Experience, Tellart led the redesign of the space from concept through execution. 

The Experience Center invites visitors to explore four environments, City, Desert, Sea, and Mountain through films that together characterize Saudi Arabia. These are connected by two transitional passageways that enable visitors to “travel” between environments through multi-sensory cues. The essence of each region was brought to life through departmental and spatial theming. 

Maximizing the Use of Space

One of the most notable characteristics of the experience is its clever use of space.  Through dynamic screen shifts and projection techniques, both rooms are transformed, allowing visitors to experience them in entirely new ways. In a given 300m² space, we doubled the footprint by repurposing the same space twice. By using spatial sound and 360-degree projection, Tellart maximized the allocated space as illustrated below.

The journey is designed as a continuous loop, guiding guests through two circular rooms connected by two curved corridors. This spatial concept creates the illusion of visiting four unique environments, rather than two.

In each room, guests encounter Saudi hosts who guide them through a landscape, sharing their personal story and perspective. This experience offers an intimate and authentic glimpse into the Kingdom’s culture and environment.

Connecting with the Ancient Past 

Upon entering, guests arrive in the Ingress, an introductory space designed to spark curiosity and create a seamless, inviting transition from the building’s lobby into the storytelling journey.

On the monumental walls of the ingress are clad in natural materials. There you see cutout ‘petroglyphs’, the ancient carvings which Saudi ancestors used to communicate with each other.  These cutouts are  backlit, allowing their colorful silhouettes to glow and shift as guests move through the space. These timeless forms foreshadow the narrative thread of the experience: Saudi youth reaching out to connect and share their stories with you.

Traveling through the City, Desert, Sea and Mountain 

The first film begin with meeting a young artist from Riyadh, who guides visitors on a journey through a thriving creative culture, celebrating Saudi heritage, identity, and artistic expression. It reveals a city finding its voice through a new generation. 

From city to desert, visitors follow the drifting sand through immersive passageways, experiencing shifts in heat and light that subtly evoke the approaching desert landscape.

In the next space, visitors are transported into the vast desert of Saudi Arabia, brought to life by members of a tribe in the Rub’ al Khali region. Surrounded by women crafting, men dancing, and a young poet, visitors are invited to join the rhythm of the celebration. Through interactive projections on the floor and screen, guests’ movements are tracked and mirrored in real time, transforming their kinetic energy into part of the performance itself.

The journey continues through a passageway where the environment shifts from arid sands to the cool waters of the Red Sea. The atmosphere transforms with a refreshing breeze, hints of salt air, and rippling light.

Now the visitors encounter the sea guided by a female conservationist and scuba diver dedicated to ocean cleanups and to empowering women through her initiative. As she shares her story, the fish on the screen respond to the guests’ presence, scattering and regrouping in graceful choreography. By following their movement, visitors are gently guided onward toward a passageway filled with lush greenery and cool mist, transitioning them from Sea to Mountain.

The final chapter, the Mountain Encounter, brings visitors face-to-face with two Saudis. Together with them, visitors traverse the hiking trails of Jebel Sawda, ascending toward the nation’s highest peak.

The journey concludes when a textured wall emerges, adorned with dried floral displays and infused with subtle natural scents. This final sensory layer grounds the experience in memory, texture, and the enduring beauty of Saudi Arabia’s landscapes.

Entering the Future of Saudi Arabia

As visitors make their way out, they catch a glimpse of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious future vision shaped by the transformative Vision 2030 initiatives. Here, large-scale tourism and development projects such as the Red Sea Project, NEOM, Soudah Development, and AlUla are showcased, reflecting the nation’s commitment to sustainability, innovation, and cultural preservation.

In this final moment, guests once again encounter the facade of the space and recognize that the textures on the external walls form a collage of the same four materials they experienced throughout their journey. This subtle detail serves as a poetic reminder of the rich and interconnected Saudi landscape, inviting visitors to continue exploring the country’s diverse regions and its evolving story.