Globetrender
Summary
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.
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 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.
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