Skift Global Forum East Video: Taking Regenerative Tourism from Concept to Reality
Skift Take
In this video:
- The Red Sea project in Saudi Arabia is pioneering a new tourism model that goes beyond sustainability to actively improve the environment and local communities through regenerative tourism.
- The initiative has already achieved significant milestones and is ready to welcome guests before the end of 2023.
- Central to the project is the developer’s investment in regenerative tourism initiatives, local education, and vocational training to create a strong hospitality industry in alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
The Red Sea project has made significant strides in 2023. It opened its first solar-powered, carbon-neutral airport, welcomed VIPs and employees as first visitors, and opened its first hotel, Six Senses Southern Dunes. More hotels, including St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton, are scheduled to open soon, with a target of 50 hotels by 2030. The project aims to not only preserve but enhance the destination’s natural and social environment through innovative ecological and social initiatives, aiming for a 30 percent net-positive impact on the environment and local communities.
In this video from Skift Global Forum East 2023, Tracy Lanza, group head of global brand development at Red Sea Global, joined Carolyn Kremins, president of Skift, to provide insights into how the Red Sea project is pioneering a new shift in tourism by balancing development with sustainability and community welfare. The conversation highlighted the project’s progress so far, its future plans, its accountability measures, and the developer’s goals of inspiring other destinations to adopt more responsible practices.
This content was created collaboratively by Red Sea Global and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.