Red Sea Global New Beginnings

Raised in the desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hajer Yeslam never imagined that she possessed the green thumb of a gardener. But the fast-growing Saudi horticulture sector has transformed her career journey and those of many other young Saudis.

Today, working in one of the largest nurseries in the Middle East, Yeslam is learning the skills of sustainable planting. “I hadn’t had any experience in horticulture before. Zero. I only had three plants in my room,” she says. “Now here I am, and I know irrigation, propagation, a lot of scientific terms related to plants.”

The Red Sea Global Landscape Nursery is a verdant expanse surrounded by a spectacular terrain of sand dunes and mountain canyons. Members of the local farming community who have found work here are inspired by the abundance of greenery that grows before them. “In my father’s day, we only had palm trees,” says one, Fawaz Aljohani “There are plants here that I didn’t know about, or saw for the first time. In the future, I hope that the desert will be green.”

The nursery has 5 million plants in stock, with 25 containers of specimens arriving each day, some imported from as far away as Thailand. The site has created both environmental and economic impact. “If you came here three or four years ago, it was an empty land,” says Faisal Alfayedi, another local resident employed by Red Sea Global. “Now look at the region—we live in prosperity and development.” Working at the nursery has “taught me a lot,” he adds.

Situated on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, Red Sea Global’s nursery is growing trees, shrubs and plants as part of the company’s ambitious plans to reimagine the future of Saudi tourism. Plants nurtured here will become part of the landscape at The Red Sea and Amaala, two regenerative tourism destinations that are designed to set new standards in luxury accommodations while protecting and replenishing their natural surroundings.

The company’s regenerative tourism philosophy is inclusive of the people who live near the resorts, and draws on their deep knowledge and understanding of the region.

The pair of new tourism destinations will create 120,000 jobs, and Red Sea Global has launched an initiative called the Red Sea Vocational Program, designed to provide training and future employment opportunities for Saudis within the burgeoning tourism industry.

“We feel passionately about our responsibility to create employment opportunities for Saudi citizens and to ensure that the communities surrounding the destination are among the first to benefit from the development” says John Pagano, Group CEO of Red Sea Global.

Not all the jobs being created for local people by Red Sea Global are based on land. Earlier this year, it launched two subsidiary brands, WAMA and Galaxea, to provide guests with water sports and diving activities that follow its stringent sustainability standards. The subsidiaries will employ 250 people, including many who will be entering the water sports sector for the first time.

“The Red Sea is my life.” says Yarob Bashrahil, a local resident hired by WAMA. “I started snorkeling 15 years ago, and the first time I saw the corals, I was attached. The Red Sea is full of treasure.” Red Sea Global water sports instructor and Saudi national team athlete Shaykhah Khayat has taken the opportunity to earn her living in the local marine environment. “The silence you feel when you are just surrounded by the coral—I am so lucky to be here by the sea with this very beautiful view,” she reflects.

Back at the nursery, Muteb Alosaimi remembers when the site was barren: “It was 100 hectares of desert. No plants. Nothing.” Today, he is employed by Red Sea Global and helps manage programs for local people to develop their horticultural skills. “They are willing and they are coming with ideas to help us,” he says. Red Sea Global plans to increase the nursery’s capacity to 30 million plants, with 10 million being grown for the Amaala project, which has an emphasis on personal wellness tourism.

The nursery uses recycled water for irrigation and maintains strict biosecurity protocols to ensure the absence of disease and pests. In its tropical zone, it grows water lilies and nine species of Canna, and Koi carp and goldfish swim in its water tanks.

The ambition and success of the nursery have defied expectations. “A lot of people challenged us and said we cannot grow these plants in Saudi Arabia because they should be in Thailand or Indonesia or the Philippines,” says Alosaimi. “But nothing is impossible, and we can achieve anything we are aiming for.”

The nursery currently employs 341 people of many nationalities, and Red Sea Global has a hiring target ensuring that at least 40% of its employees are Saudi. “We are providing the knowledge for people so that the new generation can do something for the future,” says Alosaimi. “The horticulture industry is new for Saudi Arabia. It’s like hospitality—another industry that is still new here. We need to empower people.”

For Yeslam, the chance to grow plants has been a revelation. She believes that many more Saudi women can follow a similar career path, unlocking new economic opportunities that will improve the prosperity of their local communities. “It will make us have sustainable economic growth, having men and women working equally in workplaces,” she says. “We can grow our land by ourselves. Women, men—we build this.”