PARIS, Aug 24 (Reuters) - France and Saudi Arabia have agreed to build a €6 billion ($7 billion) manga-themed amusement park near Paris, the Elysee Palace said on Monday during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the French capital.
The project, inspired by the world of the hit Japanese manga and anime franchise Dragon Ball Z, will be built near Cergy-Pontoise, northwest of Paris, and is expected to create around 22,000 jobs, the Elysee said.
The idea was born after French President Emmanuel Macron and the Saudi crown prince discovered a shared enthusiasm for Dragon Ball Z during Macron’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2025, Macron advisers said.
Saudi entertainment and investment group Qiddiya will finance the project, which forms part of the kingdom’s push to diversify its economy beyond oil and expand its global footprint in the leisure industry.
No opening date has been set for what would be one of Europe’s largest theme park developments, with construction expected to take several years.
Bin Salman, who owns a chateau near Paris, is making a rare official trip abroad and appeared alongside Macron at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris on Sunday.
French officials cast the Dragon Ball Z project as evidence that France remains a magnet for foreign investment, though key details for the sprawling development that would include three different theme parks are yet to be settled.
($1 = 0.8571 euros)
(Reporting by Michel Rose, Editing by Dominique Vidalon)
