The article examines the progress of the implementation of socio-economic reforms, which began in 2016 after the promulgation of the new "Strategy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" called "Vision 2030", and aimed at diversification of the economy and modernization of the country. The focus is on two main areas of economic development - tourism and the construction of "smart" cities of the future. 

In accordance with the logic of the new strategy the economic geography of the Kingdom is also changing. If in the previous decades the state's efforts and investments were directed mainly to the east of the country, on the coast of the Persian/Arabian Gulf, where oil de-posits are concentrated, today, during the transition to the post-oil era, the main attention is paid to unlocking the potential of the western regions adjacent to the coast of the Red Sea. 

In brief, the result of 5 years of reforms is that the words "post-oil era" have ceased to be an abstract concept. As an evidence of the population's support for the reforms, the author cites the results of a survey by UN staff members of the Kingdom's residents, most of whom expressed satisfaction with the quality of life and the actions of the authorities, as well as the report of the IMF mission, which praised the activities of the KSA government on tourism and the entertainment industry development, to combat the pandemic, and to in-crease the role of the private sector in the country's economic development.

At the same time, the author believes that despite the obvious successes, it would be a delusion to believe that all the risks associated with the implementation of reforms have been left behind.