What Is Trojena?

Trojena is a year-round mountain tourism destination within the NEOM mega-project in northwest Saudi Arabia. Situated at elevations between 1,500 and 2,600 metres in the Sarawat Mountains, Trojena leverages the unique microclimate of Saudi Arabia’s northwestern highlands, where winter temperatures regularly drop below zero degrees Celsius. The destination gained global attention when it was selected to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, marking the first time the games will be held in the Middle East.

Location and Climate

Trojena occupies a mountainous area within NEOM that experiences dramatically different conditions from the Saudi stereotype. Winter snowfall occurs naturally in the region, and temperatures are significantly cooler than lowland areas year-round. The elevation creates conditions suitable for outdoor sports, hiking, and nature-based tourism that are unavailable elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula.

Project Components

The Vault. The centrepiece of Trojena, The Vault is a folded vertical village built into the mountainside. It will contain a ski village with year-round skiing on both natural and artificial snow, retail, dining, entertainment venues, and residential units. The design creates a dramatic architectural statement integrated with the natural terrain.

The Lake. An engineered freshwater lake at the heart of Trojena will serve as a focal point for water sports, lakeside leisure, and scenic amenity. The lake will be surrounded by hotels, residences, and recreational facilities.

The Slope Residences. Ski-in, ski-out residential properties positioned along Trojena’s slopes, targeting high-net-worth buyers seeking a mountain lifestyle in the Gulf region.

Adventure Sports. Trojena plans extensive adventure sports infrastructure including mountain biking trails, paragliding, zip lines, climbing walls, and hiking networks. The mountain terrain enables outdoor activities that are impossible at lower Saudi elevations.

Wellness. Spa and wellness facilities will leverage the mountain environment for health and wellness tourism, including thermal facilities and outdoor treatment experiences.

2029 Asian Winter Games

The Olympic Council of Asia awarded the 2029 Asian Winter Games to Trojena in October 2022. The games will include skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and other winter sports. Purpose-built sports venues, an athletes’ village, and supporting infrastructure are under construction. The games serve as a hard deadline for infrastructure completion and will provide international exposure for both Trojena and NEOM.

Construction and Timeline

Construction is actively underway at Trojena, with priority given to Asian Winter Games infrastructure. Access roads, tunnel boring, earthworks, and initial building construction are progressing. The 2029 games deadline drives an accelerated construction timeline for competition venues, athlete accommodation, and transportation links.

Design and Architecture

Trojena’s architecture is designed to complement the mountain landscape. Buildings use materials and forms that echo the natural terrain. Sustainability principles include minimal visual impact, renewable energy integration, and water recycling. The folded geometry of The Vault is designed by international architecture firms and represents one of the most complex structural engineering challenges within NEOM.

Economic Vision

Trojena targets attracting over 700,000 visitors annually at full build-out. The destination will create thousands of permanent jobs in hospitality, sports instruction, resort management, and supporting services. Revenue will derive from tourism, residential sales, commercial operations, and events including the Asian Winter Games legacy.

Investment Opportunities

Trojena offers opportunities for hotel operators, adventure sports providers, food and beverage concepts, wellness brands, retail operators, and construction contractors. The NEOM procurement portal handles vendor engagement for Trojena-related contracts.

Challenges

Building a mountain resort at this scale in a remote Saudi location presents engineering and logistical challenges. Water management at altitude requires innovative solutions. Maintaining ski conditions through warmer months requires snowmaking technology. The 2029 deadline creates schedule pressure. Long-term viability depends on establishing Trojena as a credible destination in a competitive global ski and mountain tourism market.

Trojena challenges assumptions about what is possible in the Arabian Peninsula, combining natural highland conditions with massive infrastructure investment to create a destination that would have been unimaginable in Saudi Arabia a decade ago.

See our NEOM Programme Tracker and What Is NEOM?.