A newcomer in the heady line-up of luxury destinations is unveiling hidden treasures whilst leading its country’s green initiative by illustrating the positive impact of tourism.
Saudi Arabia’s north-west corner is a dazzling region of diverse natural beauty that is being cultivated into a luxury destination in an ambitious development of regenerative tourism.
You may not know that Saudi Arabia is more than ‘just a desert’, specifically this 32,000 sq. km corner that hugs the Red Sea coast; The Red Sea and Amaala. These destinations have the biggest ambitions when it comes to regeneration with a core value of protecting and enhancing a region rich in history and cultural heritage – they span part of the ancient Silk Road and one of UNESCO’s oldest World Heritage Sites, Al-Hijr.
The developments started around 2017. These transformational destinations are being created across a range of sites: an archipelago of more than 90 pristine islands, coasts, sweeping dunes, dormant volcanos and majestic mountains, is spear-headed by a sustainability master plan to lead away from carbon-based dependence and positively impact the region.
The Red Sea and Amaala showcase an area previously un-explored in detail. The discoveries have amazed scientists who have carefully documented immense natural diversity, environmental beauty and new archaeological findings.
Before breaking ground, environmental scientists and conservationists spent a year surveying the 200 km stretch of coast and the inland dunes and mountains. The survey revealed a wealth of animal and plant life, but most strikingly, a healthy number of rare and endangered species; one of the world’s largest population of the beguiling sea-mammal Dugongs, a number of nesting sites of the Green and Hawksbill turtle, Halavi Guitar fish, the Sooty Falcon, Sea Osprey, Arabian Leopard, Red Mangrove and the world’s fourth largest coral-reef system, to name a few examples. This ignited a number of initiatives to protect, enhance and promote the region for marine conservation.
The surveys influenced how and where development would take place, ring-fencing areas of environmental fragility thus avoiding disruption of local ecosystems. Out of the 90 islands in the archipelago, only 22 will be developed.
Nine islands have been designated as conservation zones and the remaining left untouched. Initiatives such as a ‘low-light design mandate’ are in place to ensure that artificial light from hotel operators will not permeate as far as any of the beaches where turtles nest. New discoveries of ancient cave paintings and ancient settlements during the ongoing surveys, can now be preserved.
More than 50 percent of construction takes place off-site proving a huge logistical conundrum but satisfies the intention to create as little disturbance as possible in the region.
The projects’ sustainability plan is further validated by the implementation of vast solar farms that will power the destinations. A commitment to using clean, renewable energy and 100% off-grid electrical power across the sites, happily taking advantage of the Middle-East’s greatest natural resource, the sun.
Capping annual visitors at 1,500,000 at The Red Sea and Amaala allows Red Sea Global to enhance the region economically, creating up to 120,000 jobs, without exhausting it.
The developer has partnered with local organic farm network to develop sustainable methods of food production in an area drastically low in rainfall. Hydroponics, aeroponics, algae-based farming, salt-tolerant crops, the creation of more energy and water-efficient agricultural greenhouses, are all areas being developed to feed the destinations and keep food production as local as possible.
The Red Sea will begin welcoming guests in 2023, where the first three hotels will open followed by the other 13 luxury hotels set to open here by 2024, all focussing on adventure, wellness, sand and sea activities and discovering the amazing flora and fauna at the destination.
In fact, only 1% of The Red Sea site and 5% of Amaala will actually be developed. The remaining land and sea area will be protected as a reserve to ensure that this dazzling corner of Saudi Arabia is carried forward into the future.
