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RIYADH: The fifth annual Hajj Conference and Exhibition will take place in Jeddah in November.

Taking place from Nov. 9-12, it is being organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, partnering with the Pilgrim Experience Program, with the theme “From Makkah to the World.”

The event, under the sponsorship of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, follows on from a successful fourth edition, which drew more than 120,000 attendees from around the world. It featured more than 220 exhibitors from 137 nations and generated more than 670 collaborative agreements.

Programming for this year includes over 80 sessions and 60 specialized workshops for academics, researchers, pilgrim services offices, diplomatic representatives and trainees.

King Abdulaziz Foundation (Darah) will contribute significantly through its History of Hajj and the Two Holy Mosques Forum, examining historical and cultural aspects of pilgrimage and the evolution of Islam’s holiest sites. It will explore modern technology applications for documenting and presenting Hajj experiences through interactive digital platforms, advancing public understanding of pilgrimage heritage.

Industries involved include travel, transportation, telecommunications, healthcare, food services, hospitality, technology, insurance, crowd management and logistics. Non-profit organizations will present collaborative initiatives offering innovative solutions for service enhancement and sustainability goals.

The accompanying exhibition will span over 52,000 sq. meters and feature more than 260 exhibitors. An Innovation Zone will bring together 15 startups and entrepreneurs competing across three challenge categories to develop forward-looking Hajj service solutions.

“Ministry officials characterize the conference as a unique global forum for expertise exchange and technology demonstration, facilitating partnerships between government agencies, private companies, and non-profit organizations,” said a statement. “They position it as the world’s only specialized international platform focused on Hajj system development and innovation, promoting cross-sector coordination in serving pilgrims.”

The initiatives align with the Pilgrim Experience Program objectives within Saudi Vision 2030.

Interested parties can learn more and register for the event at www.hajjconfex.com.

RIYADH: Against a skyline dotted with construction cranes, Riyadh is racing to add 360,000 new hotel rooms by 2030 — a $1 trillion push aimed at cementing ������Ƶ’s place as a global tourism hub.

This rapid expansion raises a critical question: Can desert hospitality lead the world in sustainable innovation while advancing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and net-zero 2060 goals?

The operational blueprint is unfolding at King Abdullah Financial District, where over 40 LEED Silver or Gold-certified buildings achieve 10–15 percent energy savings through high-efficiency appliances and smart climate control.

These structures recycle wastewater using advanced treatment systems, supporting Riyadh’s city-wide goal to reuse 100 percent of treated water for irrigation and greening — mirroring capabilities at facilities like the Manfouha plant.

Abdulrazaq Alreshaidan, an expert on sustainability and safety issues, emphasized to Arab News the comprehensive nature of this evolution:

“Progressive developers now integrate carbon accounting from initial excavation through decades of operations while implementing sophisticated water conservation systems and advanced waste management techniques across all project phases,” he said.

Riyadh’s hospitality expansion is tightly interwoven with the city’s sustainability strategy, forming a unified framework for ecological transformation.

The blueprint sets ambitious targets: a 50 percent citywide reduction in carbon emissions, driven by energy-efficient building codes and renewable energy adoption in the tourism sector. Hotels are also expected to achieve a 94 percent waste recycling and conversion rate by redirecting food and packaging waste into circular systems, cut water consumption by 57 percent through advanced conservation mandates, and lower urban temperatures by 1.5°C–2°C via strategically expanded native green corridors irrigated with recycled water.

Addressing extreme water scarcity remains paramount. At Shebara along the Red Sea coast, 73 prefabricated villas operate with near-zero marine impact through solar-powered reverse-osmosis desalination that meets 100 percent of freshwater needs, while enforcing strict circular economy protocols that eliminate single-use plastics through reusable container partnerships with local suppliers.

Similarly, Dar Tantora in AlUla features 30 mud-brick guest rooms using ancient thermal-mass principles for natural temperature regulation, alongside a zero-waste restaurant initiative that trains regional farmers in precision-drip irrigation and regenerative agriculture to rebuild topsoil season after season.

“Leading properties now implement intuitive material reuse stations with multilingual signage,” said Alreshaidan. He highlighted hotels like The Valley Resort, which transform 12 tonnes of monthly organic waste into nutrient-dense compost for extensive native-species gardens — creating on-site closed-loop ecosystems.

Energy innovation is also taking center stage. Six Senses Southern Dunes — ������Ƶ’s first off-grid LEED Platinum property — runs entirely on photovoltaic arrays with battery storage, while Desert Rock Resort uses subterranean geothermal engineering to cut conventional cooling needs by over 40 percent.

“Visionary developers actively pursue certifications like LEED because they understand these credentials validate operational excellence while strengthening brand reputation and investor confidence quantifiably,” Alreshaidan said.

He added that material sourcing remains a challenge: “You might notice some sustainable materials are higher in price than others.” Many hotels accept these higher costs as “long-term investment rather than short-term cost.”

The Saudi Investment Recycling Co., a Public Investment Fund subsidiary, develops and operates recycling infrastructure across all waste types. Alreshaidan emphasized material sustainability: “Companies like SIRC guide others to utilize recycled materials and waste from construction is utilized where materials came 100 percent from recycled sources.”

He specifically spotlighted SIRC’s conversion of demolition debris into certified concrete aggregates used in landmark projects.

Verification gaps present another complexity: “The absence of Saudi and GCC-authorized accreditation bodies for auditing recycled content percentages creates vulnerability to greenwashing claims without standardized chain-of-custody documentation,” said Alreshaidan.

With LEED Silver certification now mandatory for major developments, Riyadh’s hotel construction wave is creating 360,000 real-world laboratories for sustainable innovation.

As Expo 2030 approaches, transformative solutions — from AI-managed water recovery networks to SIRC’s circular economy platforms — position ������Ƶ to lead global sustainability standards tailored for hyper-arid regions.

������Ƶ is fundamentally reimagining how environmental resilience is embedded in every operational variable. Alreshaidan concluded optimistically: “Comprehensive solutions are materializing precisely where most critically needed to harmonize growth with planetary stewardship.”