Alongside rehabilitating coral reefs and planting forests in the desert, the Red Sea Development Company is carving out a utopian tourism enclave on a Saudi Arabian archipelago that will be home to 50 luxury hotels by 2030. Jenny Southan reports
In a bid to move away from an economy primarily reliant on oil and gas, Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” promotes a future that puts culture, education and industrial diversification, and anti-corruption policies at the top of its list of priorities.
Building its tourism sector will be central to these ambitions. By the end of the decade it hopes that tourism will contribute 10 per cent of its GDP annually, provide one million additional jobs, and attract 100 million visitors a year.
The Red Sea Development Company’s “Red Sea Project” will no doubt be a major draw – and work is already well underway. Located on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, nine international hotel brands have now signed management agreements to open properties here.
The gateway to the Red Sea Project will be Shurayrah Island, where Foster + Partners is designing a hub called Coral Bloom to accommodate the debut hotels. Part of an archipelago of 90 islands, just 22 of them will be developed, meaning 75 per cent of them will be protected. The destination also features desert dunes, mountain canyons, dormant volcanoes, and ancient cultural and heritage sites.
Jay Rosen, chief financial officer at TRSDC, says: “Hospitality is the anchor of the Red Sea Project. We are determined to create a world-class luxury destination and the hotel brands we partner with play a crucial role in delivering on this ambition.
“Our partnerships are cemented through a collaborative framework that emphasise synchronicity between all brands. In doing so, we aim to create more value and maximize destination success, empowering stakeholders to benefit from shared best practices and economies of scale.
“The hotel management agreements unveiled today mark a significant milestone for us and we welcome more hotel operators, developers and investors to join us in our journey to build a thriving destination for visitors from around the world.”
Upon completion in 2030, the site will host 50 hotels offering up to 8,000 hotel rooms and approximately 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites.
The first phase will also include a luxury marina, an 18-hole championship golf course, entertainment and leisure facilities, as well as an international airport that will be accessible by 80 per cent of the world’s population in less than eight hours and expected to serve up to one million passengers per year by 2030.
The Red Sea Project will also feature residential properties, leisure, commercial and entertainment amenities, as well as supporting infrastructure that emphasizes renewable energy and water conservation and re-use, as well as a circular waste management system to achieve zero waste to landfill.
The Red Sea Development Company says it has committed to delivering a 30 per cent net conservation benefit by 2040. To achieve this it is creating the world’s largest district cooling plant powered by renewable energy 24 hours a day and the largest battery storage system in the world. It also says it will offset visitors’ entire carbon footprint on their behalf.