In this episode of La Loupe, Xavier Yvon deciphers the ambitions of Mohammed ben Salmane for Saudi Arabia with Corentin Pennarearear, journalist for the World service of L’Express.
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The team: Xavier Yvon (presentation), Mathias Penguilly (writing), Ambre Rosala (editing), Jules Krot_ (directing) and Marion Galard (work-study).
Credits: Franceinfo, France 2, BFMTV, France 24
Music and dressing: Emmanuel Herschon/Studio Torrent
Picture credits: Hassan Ammar/AFP
Logo: Anne-Laure Chapelain/Benjamin Chazal
How to listen to a podcast? Follow the leader.
Xavier Yvon: I really need the sun… and that’s good, that’s exactly what Corentin Pennarcarear, journalist in the World service of L’Express, promised me when he offered me this little trip. The destination is secret, but all the coordinates are already in the teleporter. All you have to do is press the shutter button and go!
I landed on a large terrace. There are ultra-modern deckchairs, tables, parasols… There aren’t a lot of people, it still looks very luxurious and it’s much warmer than in Paris.
Corentin Pennarcar : Hi Xavier, welcome!
Xavier Yvon : Hi Corentin! This place is superb, where are we?
Corentin Pennarcar : I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you for the moment… What I can tell you is that we are in 2030, in an ultramodern hotel which has just opened. There really is everything you need to have a good time here: swimming pools, spas, nautical activities, restaurants, shows… Do you have any idea where we are? ?
Xavier Yvon : It is really very hot. I see golden rocky mountains behind us, I have the impression that we are in a rather desert place. With all the entertainment you described to me Corentin, I could have said Las Vegas and at the same time I smell the sea air… What is that building behind us? Looks like a spaceship with all those mirrors. I’ll try to make a bet… Considering the futuristic buildings, the proximity to the sea and the arid landscapes behind us, I think I saw some waitresses with a veil. I would say we are in Dubai?
Corentin Pennarcar : Lost ! We’re in Saudi Arabia, in a government-funded hotel. Such modern and luxurious places, there are dozens of them on the west coast of the country, along the Red Sea. And that’s just the beginning ! The country is undergoing a metamorphosis, in particular to prepare for the day when it will no longer be able to depend on oil revenues… I am taking you to visit the Saudi Arabia of which Crown Prince Mohammed ben Salmane dreams. A country which would be the first tourist destination in the world, even ahead of France.
For further
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In Saudi Arabia, with French archaeologists in search of the country’s memory