Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Red Sea tourism destination is steadily taking shape. While the multibillion-dollar development is not expected to be fully completed until 2030, visitors can already stay at a growing collection of luxury resorts, with 11 hotels now welcoming guests along the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast.
Developed by Red Sea Global in partnership with Kingdom Holding Company, the project is transforming part of an archipelago of around 90 islands between Umluj and Al Wajh into one of the world’s most ambitious sustainable luxury tourism destinations. Once complete, it is expected to feature around 50 hotels, 8,000 rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties. For now, however, only part of that vision is operational, with new resorts continuing to open in phases.
It is planned as a “new place, where nature, sustainability, hospitality and unique experiences come together,” according to Stephen Cheesebrough, Head of Development at Red Sea Global, speaking to Euronews.
Boasting diverse surroundings, including coral reefs, deserts, peaks, volcanoes, and white sands, it presents visitors with “a variety of experiences in such a compact area,” Cheeseborough notes, Diving, golfing, hiking, sailing, and surfing are just a few of the activities to be sampled, alongside a marina, retail spaces, and restaurants.
By 2030, the plan is that the development will encompass at least 50 hotels, offering 8,000 rooms and over 1,000 residential properties, with the visitor capacity of around a million annually. That’s all while “conserving and protecting the natural environment,” Cheeseborough insists, pointing to an entirely renewable energy grid and all-reusable water system thanks to recycling.
For now though, 11 hotels are in operation, one of them the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Red Sea at Shura Island, officially opened on 20 May 2026, and offering a spa, 149 rooms and 31 residences, all encircled by the sea and inspired by the design of vernacular trade caravans.
Also bookable already, are The Red Sea EDITION (Shura Island), SLS The Red Sea (Shura Island), InterContinental The Red Sea Resort (Shura Island), adult-only retreat Miraval The Red Sea (Shura Island), The St. Regis Red Sea Resort (Ummmahat Island), Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve (Ummmahat Island), Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea (Inland Dunes), Desert Rock (Mountain Resort), Shebara (Island Resort), Turtle Bay Hotel (Mainland).
Air connectivity is vital to the nation’s hospitality strategy, as Cheeseborough explained: “There would be no point in creating a destination of this scale without ensuring that travellers can reach it easily.” The Red Sea International Airport connects the resort region to cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Doha, and Milan. It has already served over 78,000 passengers over the first two quarters of the year, including over 11,000 international visitors. In addition, Red Sea project stakeholders are “in talks with several European airlines and our aim is to gradually expand the international network,” Cheeseborough said.
The RSG partnership has also completed the modernization of AlWajh International Airport, which is receiving flights, including three weekly connections from Riyadh and two from Jeddah, operated by Saudia. It is just 45 minutes in electric vehicle and 20 minutes by seaplane away from the stakeholders’ AMAALA resort.
