Saudi Arabia: From Red Sea Project to Green Riyadh, ecotourism in the Kingdom sees upward trend

Saudi Arabia: From Red Sea Project to Green Riyadh, ecotourism in the Kingdom sees upward trend

Saudi Arabia is already making ecotourism efforts for its future and by 2030, the kingdom plan to decrease the kingdom’s oil dependence

Thinking about where to travel for your next vacation? Then head to Saudi Arabia. Known for its oil in the past, the kingdom is boosting ecotourism to attract travellers. Saudi Arabia is already making ecotourism efforts for its future and by 2030, the kingdom plan to decrease the kingdom’s oil dependence in part by increasing tourism to account for 10 percent of Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product by 2030, up from 3 percent today.

The vision outlines a plan for heightened sustainability efforts across the kingdom, from large-scale “giga-project” developments to a massive tree-planting campaign. “We are part of this world, and we live the problems and challenges it is facing,” says King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who hopes that Saudi Arabia will play a big role in developing solutions to these pressing global issues, including those related to environmental and sustainable development.

Saudi Arabia: From Red Sea Project to Green Riyadh, ecotourism in the Kingdom sees upward trend
New generation of Saudi photographers market the Kingdom wonders via the social media

Here are several ecotourism efforts in Saudi Arabia that are currently underway:

The Red Sea Project

This luxury tourism development project spans an archipelago of 90 islands on the west coast of the kingdom and the shores of the Tabuk province. The giga-project started in 2017, is meant to attract international tourism to these unspoiled islands, create up to 70,000 jobs and protect the ecosystem on the Red Sea coastline. According to The Red Sea Development Company, goals include pursuing 100 percent renewable energy, eventually generating and storing energy used onsite from renewable sources.

Green Riyadh

Announced under the Vision 2030 plan, the Green Riyadh project aims to increase the city’s per-capita share of green space from 1.7 square metres to 28, improve air quality, reduce temperatures and encourage healthy lifestyles. The plan includes planting 7.5 million trees across the capital city and watering all green projects with recycled water from new irrigation networks designed to reduce waste.

The NEOM Project

The word NEOM translates to “new future”, and that’s exactly what this sprawling project in the Tabuk region aims to achieve, and in a sustainable fashion. A centerpiece of Vision 2030, this innovation hub-meets-living laboratory is another one of the kingdom’s giga-projects. It will include smart towns and cities, research areas, enterprise zones and entertainment spots. The project’s mission is to attract more than 1 million residents as well as tourists from around the world.

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