IN the deserts of north-western Saudi Arabia sits a gated Brit family enclave – and while wives stay home to look after their young kids, their husbands are busy building Neom – the $1 trillion mega-city.
But the glamorous Brit influencers also act like they too are working for the project as they spend their days posting social media content, painting a glossy picture of life there – but it hides a dark secret.
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A dozen now-influencers – most with young children – made the move months or even years ago as their husbands landed various jobs working for the Saudi project.
The high salaries are said to be the main attraction for a new life in the desert – as well as the often free accommodation – with some senior executives offered over $1 million annually.
It appears that most, if not all of the women had normal jobs before taking up social media as they moved thousands of miles away.
And, by offering an insight into the project and their luxurious life there, the women have accumulated thousands of followers across Instagram and TikTok.
Footage uploaded to social media shows perfect pre-schools, playgrounds, virtually zero traffic and community-building activities like coffee mornings for the housewives.
Families also come together in a central food hall on the site for buffet-style eating for every meal of the day.
The temporary accommodations are also equipped with luxury amenities like swimming pools, spa facilities, playgrounds and football pitches.
One TikToker shared a video on how items compare price-wise in Saudi supermarkets, with a punnet of strawberries or blueberries costing up to £10.
But the Brit expat insists, “considering where we are, the prices are really really good”.
And to help deal with such a change in environment, UK chocolates and sweets are stocked on the shelves.
But the rosy image posted of Neom couldn’t be further from the underlying truth, having been built on bloodshed and slavery – with women in the country reportedly slaughtered for speaking out against the ruling regime.
Neom was announced as part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Project 2030 in 2017 – a major push to wean the oil-rich nation’s economy off its reliance on fossil fuels.
The anticipated cost of delivering the gargantuan scheme is reported to have spiralled from a $500bn (£386bn) estimate to a head-spinning $8.8 trillion (£6.8 trillion), according to The New Civil Engineer.
But even more shocking are the human rights abuses and brutal conditions for workers looming over Neom – issues that have plagued the country well before the project.
I absolutely love the community here, and I just wouldn’t change it for the world.
Samantha
As many as 21,000 are reported to have died during construction on various sections of Neom, although Saudi authorities have disputed this figure.
But as some international workers continue to ensure the high-tech, blood-soaked utopia is built on time, their families are residing in a gated community equipped with everything they could possibly need – including a Starbucks.
Nick McGeehan from NGO FairSquare told The Sun how mumfluencers in Saudi are “very clearly a public relations strategy” – and “quite an effective one”.
He said: “It is trying to attract all sorts of investment into the country to sort of realise its commercial ambitions for the country, and to do that, it needs to sort of exhibit this progressive, tolerant face.
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“Western women are a key part of that. Sending this message to audiences that this is a safe place, it’s a good place for families, is very important to them.
“And of course, the reality in Saudi Arabia is quite different to the one that’s being presented, unfortunately.”
Life in Neom
Brit mum Samantha films day-in-the-life videos showing off her new lifestyle over 4,000 miles away.
This consists of school runs, gym sessions and salon appointments, which she describes as “great” and “amazing” in nearly all of her videos.
Similarly, another Brit mumfluencer Samara has lived at the compound for over two years.
She has dubbed her time on Neom as “incredible” and, like Samantha, shows off the amenities and what she and her family get up to day-to-day.
Samara says in one video: “I can’t believe I am saying this, but it has been nearly two years since I packed up my life in the UK and I got on an aeroplane with my then five-week-old baby to move to somewhere that I had never ever been before.
“It was absolutely madness if you ask me but honestly it was the best decision I have ever made in my life and it still is.
“I absolutely love the community here, and I just wouldn’t change it for the world.”
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Despite previous denials from Neom that influencers aren’t paid, Nick has his doubts.
He said: “I would be very surprised if there wasn’t a commercial dimension to this.
“We’ve seen this in the past, and we know that Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States spend millions and millions of pounds on public relations, and they’re very smart how they do it.”
Just two weeks ago, Saudi journalist Turki al-Jasser was executed for “high treason”.
He was the founder of news blog The Saudi Scene, which is said to have regularly addressed topics in the country, like its infamous lack of rights for women.
Nick pointed out how the life of expat influencers in Saudi differs greatly from the women who were born and raised there.
The reality is, it’s still quite a brutal place for anyone who wants to speak out, and it’s still not a great place for women to go because of the way that women are still second-class citizens in the country
Nick McGeehan
Women’s rights are incredibly patchy in the country and women exercise little control over their marriage, children, education, and even healthcare.
Only six years ago were Saudi women were granted the right to drive.
It is also known that women are being jailed, starved and flogged in “hellish” Saudi prisons for being “disobedient” to their husbands.
Documented cases show various evidence of abuse and neglect at the notorious Dar al-Re’aya jails, according to rights group ALQST.
Prisoners are left malnourished and locked up in solitary confinement, the organisation claims.
Several cases of suicide attempts in recent years have also been reported.
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The name of the jails, Dar al-Re’aya, literally translates to “care homes“.
They have existed since the 1960s and were initially presented as a rehabilitative “shelter” for women accused or convicted of certain crimes.
The infamous cells house women and girls between the ages of just seven to 30.
Nick said: “We cannot believe the sort of public relations image that we’re sold about the country from influencers on TikTok and other social media.
“The reality is, it’s still quite a brutal place for anyone who wants to speak out, and it’s still not a great place for women to go because of the way that women are still second-class citizens in the country.”
Nick believes it is “dangerous” to perpetuate this kind of unrealistic lifestyle on social media, based on the idea “you just have to shut up, consume, shop, sunbathe – and don’t say a goddamn thing about what’s going on to the people who’ve stood up and ask for their basic rights”.
He concluded: “It’s cheap PR, right?”
Some influencers living in Neom have been approached for comment.
Futuristic city
Neom is to be an unbelievable futuristic city across 26,000 sqft on the Red Sea and will include smaller projects like The Line, Oxagon, Trojena, Sindalah and the Gulf of Aqaba Projects.
Some infrastructure in the plans includes floating buildings, as well as ultra-luxurious holiday and ski resorts.
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But even after eight years, little progress has been made.
And the project has been the subject of a number of controversies.
One former employee has shared their story of working at the gigaproject with The Sun, shedding light on the atrocities taking place behind Neom’s doors.
Rights organisations have long blasted the Saudi regime’s record on workers’ welfare, with a recent Human Rights Watch report detailing the “gruesome yet avoidable” deaths faced by many migrant workers.
The advocacy group mentions that some workers died falling from buildings, by electrocution, and even decapitation.
Human Rights Watch researcher Joey Shea told The Sun: “Unfortunately, migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continue to face widespread abuses, some of which may amount to situations of forced labour, including at high-profile gigaprojects.
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“On Neom, Human Rights Watch has found that ambitious targets set by Saudi authorities have tight and unrealistic deadlines which can lead employers to demand that workers continue to work under dangerous conditions.
“Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia experience illegal and exorbitant recruitment fees, limits to job mobility, obstacles exiting the country, as well as serious health and safety risks.”
Michael, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, told The Sun that the project is unlikely to be anywhere near complete before 2055.
Talking about delays, Michael said: “From the very beginning, Neom had a very long timeline.
“There were certain objectives they wanted to achieve by 2030, but most of the leadership were aware of a longer timeframe.”
Michael said Neom’s management has “overspent quite a bit” since its announcement.
He says: “They were focusing on way too many things at the same time.
“They just wanted everything at the highest level possible. The biggest entertainment complex in the world. The biggest media studio in the region.
“No matter how much money you throw at the thing, it takes more than just money to make it work.”
The much hyped project, aided by an aggressive social media marketing campaign, has sought to big up Neom as a vision of futuristic city living.
Sci-fi ideas from levitating trains to an artificial moon are reported to have been among the features of the project.
But Neom continues to fall chronically behind schedule, with many of its most ambitious projects still looking like a distant dream.
Top 5 blunders plaguing NEOM project
By Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM project, despite its ambitious vision, has been criticized for several major blunders that have raised concerns about its feasibility, ethics, and overall execution.
Here are the top five major blunders associated with the project:
Forced Displacement of Indigenous Communities: One of the most significant controversies surrounding NEOM is the forced displacement of the Huwaitat tribe.
This indigenous community, which has lived in the area for centuries, was forcibly removed from their ancestral lands to make way for the development of the mega-city.
The Saudi government’s crackdown on those who resisted, including the killing of a tribal leader, Abdul Rahim al-Howeiti, has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organisations.
This blunder not only sparked international outrage but also tainted NEOM’s image as a forward-thinking, humane project.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability Concerns: NEOM has been marketed as an environmentally sustainable city, but the environmental impact of such a massive development is a major concern.
The project’s scale—covering over 26,500 square kilometers—poses significant risks to local ecosystems, particularly in the Red Sea, which is home to rich marine biodiversity.
Critics argue that the construction of artificial islands and extensive urbanisation could lead to irreversible ecological damage.
The enormous water and energy demands required to maintain a green city in the desert also raise questions about the project’s sustainability.
Economic Viability and Cost Overruns: NEOM is one of the most expensive development projects in history.
But there are serious doubts about its economic viability. Critics question whether the project can attract the necessary foreign investment and whether it will generate sufficient returns to justify the enormous expenditure.
The economic risks are further compounded by potential cost overruns and delays, which are common in megaprojects of this scale.
This financial gamble has led some to worry that NEOM could become a costly white elephant if it fails to meet its ambitious goals.
Technological Overreach and Ethical Concerns: NEOM is envisioned as a high-tech city, heavily reliant on artificial intelligence, robotics, and extensive surveillance systems.
While this technological ambition is central to NEOM’s identity, it also raises significant ethical concerns. The level of surveillance planned for the city could lead to unprecedented control over residents’ lives, sparking fears about privacy and civil liberties.
The lack of transparency about how AI will be used, coupled with concerns about job displacement, has also led to criticism that NEOM’s technological vision may be more dystopian than utopian.
Cultural and Social Disconnect: NEOM’s vision of a futuristic, liberalized society clashes sharply with Saudi Arabia’s deeply conservative cultural norms.
The project plans to introduce mixed-gender sports, entertainment events, and other liberal lifestyle elements that are rare in the kingdom.
This cultural shift has raised concerns about a potential clash between NEOM’s globalised vision and the traditional values of Saudi society.
The disconnect between the project’s ambitions and the broader cultural context has led to skepticism about whether NEOM can truly integrate into Saudi Arabia’s social fabric without causing significant friction.