Six years ago, Saudi Arabia announced Vision 2030, a set of reforms designed to open up the country and diversify its economy. In tandem, the Kingdom has made a series of ambitious pledges on the climate, which aim to cut emissions and protect the environment. On a recent trip there, I wanted to see how the Saudi Green Initiative was taking shape – and to discover how building new tourist hubs can be done sustainably.
On the first day, we journeyed up the Red Sea coast to Turtle Bay, the headquarters of Red Sea Global. The development company is currently building what they say will become the largest resort in the world powered entirely by renewable energy. The first three hotels on the site will open in Spring 2023.
The unspoilt shoreline is a far cry from the clichéd pictures of Saudi Arabia – high rise buildings overlooking marinas and miles of arid desert. Here, turquoise lagoons and corridors of clear water appear between islands, coloured green with shrubs that spill into the sea.
Coral nurseries in the Red Sea at sunset. In the distance: islands dot the horizon
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The coastline is home to hundreds of coral nurseries. The coral here has evolved in tandem with the hot summers, adapting to warm temperatures and withstanding them in ways the Great Barrier Reef in Australia cannot. This resistance to coral bleaching – common in many reefs due to the imapct of the climate crisis – fascinates marine biologists, who’ve come from all over the world to contribute to the project.
Dr Pamela Neubert, who heads the environmental operations team, took us out on a boat to visit the nurseries at sunset. “We’re trying to see if we can isolate a gene or strain responsible for this resistance and see if we can replicate it in other reefs through coral hybridisation,” she explains.
The scientists on Dr Neubert’s team believe they are on the verge of something groundbreaking. John Pagano, CEO, says he is inspired by the company’s regenerative mission. “We initially promised to increase the net conservation value of the land here by 30 per cent,” he says. “I’m excited to say we’re now looking to surpass that.”
Ahmad Darwish, chief administrative officer at Red Sea Global, with construction workers
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After a few days on the west coast, we travel across the country to al-Ahsa, where efforts to…
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