Sameer Hashmi
speaker
100 appearances
2 recordings
2 series
first heard Jan 2026
last heard 5 Jul
Sameer Hashmi’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 2 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.
Appearances
You're listening to Business Daily from the BBC World Service.
I'm Samir Hashmi.
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, looking at the big economic changes the kingdoms introduced in the past decade under the banner of Vision 2030.
In December, I visited Soundstorm.
one of the world's largest electronic dance music festivals held on the outskirts of Riyadh.
Just a few years ago, concerts like this were unthinkable in the kingdom.
Until 2016, public music events were banned.
Organizers estimate that around half a million people attended the 2025 edition over three days.
Since it began, Soundstorm has hosted some of the biggest names on the global festival circuit, including David Guetta, Martin Garrix and Swedish House Mafia.
Entertainment alongside sports has become a big part of Saudi Arabia's tourism strategy.
Tourism is one of the main pillars of Vision 2030, creating jobs and attracting international visitors at scale.
Saudi Arabia is also preparing to host major global events including the Men's FIFA World Cup in 2034 and the World Expo in 2030.
I asked Saudi Arabia's tourism minister Ahmed Al-Khatib how far the kingdom thinks tourism can really go.
70-30.
In terms of, Minister, if you look at Saudi Arabia, religious tourism is also a big part of your tourism strategy.
How are you going to get more
I'm inside the lavish King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre in Riyadh.
Its marble halls are filled with delegates in sharp suits and Saudi men and women in white thobs and black abayas respectively.
This is the Future Investment Initiative Summit, often dubbed as the Davos in the Desert.
This is where some of the biggest names from finance, business and technology gather every year.
Showing 41–60 of 100 · page 3 of 5
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