Red Sea Global The Journey
By the warm Red Sea waters that lap the coast of Saudi Arabia, innovative thinking and hard science are providing solutions to one of the great conundrums facing the global economy: how to meet the growing demand for international travel without causing irreparable harm to the planet.
Tourism is on the rise, and the sector contributes roughly 10% of global GDP, produces 7% of global exports and accounts for one in 10 of the world’s jobs. By 2033, tourism’s projected GDP contribution will hit $15.5 trillion, or 11.6% of the global economy, employing 430 million people (12% of the world’s population), according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.
But with this growth comes danger. Tourism exacts an enormous cost in its consumption of energy, water and other resources. On its current trajectory, the global sector will increase its energy consumption by 154% and its water consumption by 152% by 2050, according to the UN Environment Programme. Tourism already accounts for 11% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the UN predicts that the sector’s emissions will rise by 131% and its solid waste disposal will increase by 251% by 2050 as the world travels more. The result will be greater environmental impact and increased frequency of cataclysmic weather conditions.
However, this alarming outcome is not the only possible scenario. Regenerative tourism is a visionary approach to international travel that can produce an entirely different environmental outcome and enhance the natural world, rather than inflict damage on it.
This is the philosophy at Red Sea Global, where a team of environmental scientists are working side-by-side with developers to reimagine tourism for the future. Here, amid a delicate ecosystem of uninhabited islands, pristine beaches, mountain canyons and one of the world’s most unspoiled coral reefs, travelers are being offered the chance to support their natural surroundings.
“We need to change the fundamentals of how we are approaching things,” says Raed Albasseet, Red Sea Global’s Chief Environment and Sustainability Officer. Tourism has always had a “negative relationship” with nature, he says, but Red Sea Global is taking “a very different approach.”
Rather than cutting down forests, the company plants trees. Reefs are not only protected, but also regenerated by its coral farms. By 2040, Red Sea Global promises a 30% net conservation benefit across its flagship luxury destinations, The Red Sea and Amaala, and frequent marine surveys measure the resorts’ impact on natural ecosystems.
Achieving this ambitious conservation target will be a team effort that includes the contribution of guests, who are offered leisure activities that are respectful of the natural environment. “Regenerative tourism is everybody within the whole system taking part in regeneration,” says Albasseet. “Guests will be able to contribute to that regeneration.”
The hope is that Red Sea Global will set a new international standard for responsible tourism, and also inspire other sectors to switch to cleaner working practices. “We believe that tourism does stand a very good chance to be the role model to demonstrate to the world that things can be done differently,” says Albasseet.
One example of the regenerative tourism approach is the huge mangrove nursery being developed by Red Sea Global to offset the carbon footprint of its destinations. “Mangroves are one of the best sequesters of carbon of all plant species,” says Albasseet. “They are many, many times more efficient in carbon sequestration than tropical forests.”
The nursery is spread over an area of 1 million square meters and has 1 million mangrove seedlings, with plans for 50 million by 2030. “There was nothing growing there whatsoever, but the area is receptive to mangrove growth,” says Albasseet. This is an example of Red Sea Global making a positive impact on the environment; the mangroves have created new habitat for birds, crabs and other wildlife not previously present.
Scientists fear that ocean acidification could destroy 90% of the world’s coral reefs by 2050, and the mangrove nursery will play a vital role in maintaining the local marine environment by attracting fish and supporting the nutrients and water quality on which healthy coral depends. “The coral reefs are the rainforests of the seas,” says marine biologist Sylvia Jagerroos, Associate Director of Marine Programs at Red Sea Global. “They are key for the survival of the oceans.”
Researchers have found that coral in the Red Sea is exceptionally resistant to rising water temperatures, so the coral being grown by Red Sea Global could potentially be used to replenish reefs both in the Red Sea and other parts of the world. “Here, the corals are very resistant to heat. Perhaps these will be able to populate other areas that are being severely bleached,” says Gino Sabatini, Associate Director - Environmental Compliance and Operations at Red Sea Global.
By 2030, Red Sea Global’s 50 hotels as well as retail and entertainment venues plus all supporting infrastructure will be totally powered by renewable energy. To achieve net zero, Red Sea Global has so far built five solar farms with a total installed capacity of more than 400MWp, which will renewably power phase one of the development. Because the entire destination is off-grid, every solar farm is equipped with a battery energy storage system (BESS), among the largest in the world. These battery farms now harness energy from 760,000 photovoltaic panels, which will avoid up to 600,000tCO2e annually when operating at full capacity.
“We are not just trying to do business as usual,” says Albasseet. “We are truly striving for the best, most environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, and the most efficient as well.”
The Red Sea destination, which will offer 50 resorts, 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites, has welcomed its first guests, and will be fully complete by 2030. Everything from the telecommunications towers to the fleet of electric vehicles will run on solar energy. “Everything is powered by renewables,” says Albasseet.
This is regenerative tourism, and it presents a path to protect the planet’s natural treasures—not merely experience them. It could be the answer to the environmental damage caused by humanity’s enduring wanderlust.
