A kingdom opens its doors

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast is home to exceptional natural landscapes, a remarkable range of flora and fauna, and one of the world’s few thriving coral reefs. Yet, until recently, it has been untouched by leisure tourism – something that the kingdom’s leadership is determined to change.

Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in tourism, shifting its focus beyond the pilgrimage sites of Mecca and Medina to its diverse natural landscapes and growing list of Unesco World Heritage Sites. As part of its Vision 2030 programme, which aims to diversify the economy away from fossil fuels, the Saudi government aims to create 1mn jobs in the tourism industry, growing tourism’s share of GDP to 10 per cent by 2030. 

An ambitious plan

When Saudi Arabia announced the launch of a raft of tourism developments in 2017, there was great interest, but also scepticism in some quarters. Could the kingdom really expect to realise its vision of ultra-luxury yet sustainable tourism? Would international visitors seriously consider Saudi Arabia for a family holiday? 

Today, AlUla, the Kingdom’s first World Heritage site, which is focused on the nation’s ancient history, is welcoming visitors from around the world. Likewise, the World Heritage Site of At-Turaif in ad-Dir’iyah, with its ancient palatial remains, opened to visitors in 2022 along with a host of restaurants and coffee shops. In addition, the Red Sea Project – one of the so-called “giga projects” announced in 2017 – is beginning to welcome visitors to its first resorts, backed by a new international airport. The country’s big tourism ambitions are beginning to be realised.

John Pagano, Group Chief Executive of Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind the destination, believes the opening of The Red Sea is a significant moment in Saudi Arabia’s journey towards becoming a serious tourism destination. 

“Six years ago, some people may have struggled to imagine what we could achieve so quickly,” he says. “However, when people come here and see for themselves what we have built, they will realise grand visions can become reality.”

Environmental concerns

As the first of the Red Sea project’s resorts open – from luxury hospitality brands Six Senses, St Regis and Ritz-Carlton Reserve – RSG is keen to stress that environmental considerations are front and centre. In this respect, it has one major advantage: sunlight – a lot of it.

RSG has installed 760,000 photovoltaic panels across five solar farms to power the destination – from hotels and transport to infrastructure and experiences – and installed a fleet of electric vehicles to transport guests around the huge destination, which has a network of 150 charging stations. 

Building the infrastructure required to support a destination that delivers both luxury experiences and protects the environment has not been easy, the task made all the more challenging by Pagano’s ambition to go beyond conservation and aim for a regenerative impact.

“We must find ways to make tourism better for both people and planet,” he says. “With our developments, we are seeking to go one step further – not just protecting natural environments, but actively enhancing them. In doing so, our hope is that we bring the wider industry and the world with us too.”

Now, Pagano and RSG are turning to delivering the next phases of The Red Sea, plus multiple other destinations up and down the Red Sea coast. They’ve proven it can be done. How long before the rest of the world notices?