The kingdom calls

Saudi Arabia stands firm in its mission to become one of the Middle East’s prime tourism destinations, with the country’s giga projects and heritage sites leading the charge

The Red Sea destination

As the largest country in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia boasts a diverse landscape, with a striking blend of old and new. Once home to ancient Nabatean kingdoms, the country honours and celebrates its rich heritage – evident in its perfectly preserved historic sites juxtaposed with its modern cities bursting with vibrancy.

With plenty to offer travellers and change sweeping the nation as new avenues for exploration continue to open up, Saudi Arabia is well on its way to becoming a tourism force in the Middle East. Thanks to the Vision 2030 project, which was announced in 2016, the kingdom has invested billions of dollars in launching new culture, leisure and entertainment projects, a few of which are already mesmerising the masses.

It’s all part of the government’s plan to channel a sum of US$800 billion by 2030 into developing everything, from transportation to city infrastructure, in order to support its overall vision. This strategy has significantly enhanced the country’s appeal as a tourist destination and has set the kingdom on track to achieve its goal of welcoming 100 million visitors by 2030.

THE GIGA PROJECT EFFECT

A focus for Saudi Arabia has been the transformation of its hospitality landscape, which the country has been able to do by launching a series of giga projects across the kingdom. Among these, Neom, the Red Sea destination, Amaala, Diriyah Gate and Qiddiya are taking shape. These massive projects make the most of the exceptional biodiversity in their surrounds to offer an all-encompassing leisure experience to modern travellers.

Equal emphasis is placed on promoting the country’s heritage, with the destination of AlUla leading the charge in this sphere. Responsible tourism also is top of mind amid the ongoing development, with projects such as Green Riyadh.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

One of the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism projects, The Red Sea destination will offer an exclusive experience of unparalleled diversity when it opens. Made up of 90 islands, this giga project encompasses miles of sweeping desert and mountain landscapes, peppered with accommodation options for all types of travellers.

“Under the guidance of the kingdom’s visionary leadership, we have taken important steps in leading the industry towards a new frontier in regenerative tourism,” explained John Pagano, CEO, The Red Sea Development Company.

“To date, we have signed over 800 contracts worth in excess of US$5.3 billion – including nine hotel management agreements in the last quarter of 2021 – to bring world-leading, luxury hospitality to the Red Sea destination. We have made significant progress on the ground, with hotels and other assets now taking shape following sustainable off-site manufacturing efforts both in the kingdom and further afield.

“Designs for a spectacular mountain resort nestled between the beautiful wadi vistas in the west of the country were revealed as a testament to our commitment to provide truly distinctive opportunities for the world’s most discerning travellers.”

Pagano added: “These luxury offerings will form part of the first phase of development scheduled for 2023, featuring 16 hotels out of the 50 that we have planned in total. Visitors will be able to enjoy authentic and bespoke experiences that will provide rare access to undiscovered coastlines, islands, lagoons, mountain ranges and dormant volcanoes.”

“Sheltered warm waters amidst mangrove forests will serve as sites for kayaking and diving to witness the world’s fourth-largest barrier reef system – including 314 species of pristine coral. Historical and archaeological sites will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, while the highest quality of personalised hospitality and smart services will enable a frictionless visitor journey.”

With completion set for 2030, the project will transform the tourism and hospitality landscape in north-west Saudi Arabia. It will be home to 50 resorts, offering 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties that span 22 islands and six inland sites. The destination will also include an international airport, luxury marinas, championship golf courses and an array of entertainment and leisure facilities.

Pagano said: “By 2030, the Red Sea destination will contribute US$5 billion per year to the local GDP, while construction and 10 years of steadystate operations will generate cumulative revenues of US$123 billion by 2044.”

The Red Sea destination is equally invested in its sustainability efforts and aims to set a new standard in sustainable development.“We are investing heavily in renewables, conservation and innovative technology, and have partnered with leading architects, designers and scientists to help us transform our vision into reality,” explained Pagano.

“In practice, this means that, despite an expansive area of 28,000 square kilometres, we are leaving 75 percent of the islands untouched and designating nine islands as special conservation zones, while developing only less than one percent of the total site area – never seen before in a documented coastal development plan in the world. We believe that regenerative tourism is the only way forward to yield maximum benefits for the economy, environment and society. We envision the Red Sea destination as a catalyst in the global transition to regeneration while exemplifying Saudi Arabia’s efforts in creating a sustainable future for the region.”

AlUla Oasis

Regenerative tourism is the way forward to yield maximum benefits for the economy, environment and society

A JOURNEY BACK IN TIME

AlUla’s strategic location in the heart of the Middle East meant that it sat along several trade routes for incense and spices coming from Asia, North Africa and the Levant. A place of deep history, its origins date back to the sixth century BC. Its ancient architecture remains well preserved and visitors can discover the UNESCO World Heritage Site and embark on a journey through time, exploring tombs, sandstone outcrops, historic dwellings and monuments.

“AlUla is a continuously evolving destination that is nowhere near to reaching its full potential,” explained Phillip Jones, Chief Destination Management and Marketing Officer at Royal Commission for AlUla. Yet, its efforts to promote the destination have met with success.

“A milestone for us was the number of visitors that AlUla welcomed last year. The expected number of visitors for 2021 was 95,000, and, by the end of the year, we reached a total number of 130,000.”

To meet this growing demand, last year, AlUla Airport welcomed three new international routes, with direct flights from Dubai operated by Flynas and Flydubai as well as from Paris with Saudia. The hotel landscape in AlUla also saw the addition of 96 rooms and 21 caravans to its total room capacity with the opening of Habitas AlUla.

In 2021, AlUla announced the Journey Through Time Masterplan, which outlines the development of five districts by 2035. The first district of AlUla Old Town opened last year with AlJadidah village set to open in 2022. Additionally, the destination has become a hub for a wide selection of new experiences, including wellness and adventure activities, such as mountain biking, rock climbing, zip lining, hiking and more. And for visitors who seek extraordinary dining experiences, AlUla has now become a dining hotspot with the opening of more than 15 new restaurants last year.

Jones said: “AlUla has the advantage of being the first of the major infrastructure projects to welcome visitors and is already giving back to the economy.”

BUILDING CONNECTIONS

A trusted name in the Saudi Arabian hospitality scene, Seera Group (formerly known as Al Tayyar Travel Group) brings 40 years of expertise to the tourism industry in the kingdom. “Our ultimate goal is to build an industry that supports Vision 2030’s aims of economic diversification and job creation,” said Majed Alnefaie, CEO, Seera Group.

“We have worked hard to contribute to building the kingdom’s tourism infrastructure by investing in our accommodation portfolio to cater for the increasing demand, revolutionising the kingdom’s digital travel landscape through our cutting-edge online booking platforms and providing large-scale travel logistics to support some of the biggest events in the country.”

A transformational year for the group, 2021 saw Seera integrate all travel-related verticals under Almosafer to create the largest travel business catering to corporate, government, consumer and VIP travel. “We also launched Almosafer Chalets+, providing a B2C digital marketplace for alternative accommodation, such as chalets and villas,” added Alnefaie. “Discover Saudi, our destination management company, supported some of the biggest events in the kingdom, including Formula E and Dakar Rally, by providing travel arrangements and ancillary services.

“We also developed our digital offerings and launched a new mobile application for our car rental business, Lumi, and also increased our product offerings with the launch of our Harley Davidson bike rentals.”

Seera Group also signed key partnerships to build new hotels in AlUla and Al Baha while also joining hands with Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University to develop travel and tourism training courses. Not keen to rest on their laurels, the group has ambitious plans ahead.

“We have weathered a difficult year and have emerged stronger, with significant growth across the vast majority of our portfolio verticals. Seera Group has shown huge potential for growth as the travel and tourism industry recovers. We will be partnering with the Saudi Tourism Authority to further develop outbound, inbound and domestic tourism. Through Discover Saudi, we will be working hard to promote the kingdom and educate travel agents on the cultural, natural and historical attractions with the goal of bringing more inbound tourism.”