Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Project is the most ambitious projects which was created as a way to develop an outstanding global tourist location with a focus on sustainability and environmental conservation. This gigantic venture by The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) is in Saudi Arabia on the west coast, the project occupying an area of about 28,000 square kilometer, over 90% of which are untouched islands.
Project overview
The Red Sea Project is planned to be constructed in several phases where the initial phase is almost ready. This phase will entail development of 16 luxury hotel and resort properties that are planned to be fully operational by December 2024. They will have a total of 3000 rooms, which will include luxurious overwater villas, ‘Garden of Eden’ private bungalows, and exclusive desert retreats. Further, as part of the plan there is also the conception of an international airport suitable for the expected number of tourists as well as the various recreational services required to offer tourists various interesting and engaging experiences.
That it is an architectural structure that has continued to be highlighted due to the creativity that the general plan of the project has taken to ensure that it is eco-friendly. For instance, the Desert Rock resort is immensely significant and innovative in terms of design. Coming up in the mountains of the Saudi desert, this luxurious resort features sixty keys and has literally been built from the desert’s very own sands. This approach apart from reducing the effect on the environment also helps in harmonizing the resort’s location with the existing location. Sustainability should always come first in the conception of any project, and the Red Sea Project is a prime example.
The entire development is designed for sustainable energy consumption where a 340 MW solar photovoltaic plant and one of the biggest battery energy storage systems. This management setup guarantees that all energy requirement must be addressed sustainably throughout a daily cycle. In addition, the project will target the use of renewable energies for water production and treatment, as well as for the district cooling system.
Economic and Social Impact
Besides the environmental goals, the Red Sea Project will also play an important role in the development of the Saudi Arabian economy and the creation of employment. TRSDC currently practices community recruitment and has provided training initiatives to increase Saudi Arabia’s qualified workforce in the hospitality and tourism industry. This move supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 which aimed at diversifying the economy especially from depending on oil, new sectors such as tourism are being developed.
Future Prospects
By the completion of the construction in 2030, Red Sea Project will be equipped with fifty hotel units, eight thousand rooms, and one thousand three hundred and forty-eight units of residential facilities. The project will be in a position to welcome millions of tourists from all over the world every year hence boosting the Saudi Arabia’s vision of being among the prime tourist’s attractants globally. The appearance of the Shebara brand, the hotel with 73 keys, is another step forward, with the focus on the completion of the project, in terms of offering the population a comfortable and at the same time environmentally friendly tourism offer.
To sum up, the analysed case of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Project is an excellent example of how visionary concept of luxury tourism can be based on principles of sustainable development to create new industry benchmarks. Having unique and hi-tech design, unprecedented focus on sustainability, and great economic promising for development, the Red Sea Project is likely to revolutionize the global tourism industry in the future.
