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Rashid Alhatilah

June 27, 2025 23:46

Since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, tourism has rebounded rapidly. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, it is expected to hit record levels in 2025. But this growth demands an urgent reassessment of how tourism impacts the natural world.

This is especially critical in coastal regions, which attract nearly half of all international travelers and are home to some of the planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds.

A new model is emerging: regenerative tourism. Rather than focusing solely on preservation, it aims to restore and enhance these ecosystems.

Rooted in science, innovation and careful planning, regenerative tourism offers a new relationship between people and place — one that strengthens biodiversity, supports communities, and creates lasting value.

At Red Sea Global, this approach is applied across every stage of development, using data, design and ecological insight to show how tourism can contribute to long-term environmental recovery.

Regeneration begins not with restoration, but with rethinking how we design and build from the start. The Red Sea and AMAALA, two of our flagship destinations, are developed with this question in mind: How can we leave a place healthier than we found it?

In Al-Wajh Lagoon, for example, development is limited to just 22 of more than 90 islands, with nine designated as conservation areas. At AMAALA, development is capped to accommodate no more than 500,000 guests per year to protect delicate habitats from overuse.

At Shebara, overwater villas were built directly above the sea, avoiding sensitive beach zones and using marine-safe materials.

The Desert Rock resort was carefully integrated into the landscape, preserving the natural contours of the mountains while minimizing disruption to the surrounding environment.

And at AMAALA’s organic farms, sustainable food production operates entirely off-grid, powered by solar energy and integrated into the local ecosystem.

Together, these projects reflect our broader goal of delivering a 30 percent net conservation benefit across The Red Sea and AMAALA by 2040.

Our environmental restoration programs go beyond conservation — they aim to rebuild ecosystems at scale and boost their long-term resilience.

We have launched an extensive seagrass restoration initiative, recognizing the critical role these underwater meadows play in nurturing marine biodiversity, from dugongs to sea turtles. Seagrasses also improve water quality and act as efficient carbon sinks.

At the same time, our coral gardening program has transplanted more than 100,000 corals across the Red Sea, achieving survival rates that exceed global benchmarks. These efforts help reestablish reef habitats that support a wide range of marine life.

Perhaps most ambitious is our mangrove regeneration program. Supported by a nursery of 1 million sq. meters, we have planted more than 3 million mangrove trees across our destinations.

These trees stabilize coastlines, support fisheries, filter pollutants and store significantly more carbon than tropical rainforests.

Rooted in science, innovation and careful planning, regenerative tourism offers a new relationship between people and place.

Rashid Alhatilah

To ensure long-term impact, we have partnered with the National Center for Vegetation Cover and other stakeholders to protect and expand these efforts.

At Red Sea Global, technology is a core part of the infrastructure for regeneration. From real-time marine sensors to nature-based solutions, innovation helps us make smarter, faster decisions and expand our impact across sectors.

Our marine environments are monitored using AI-powered sensors that track water quality, biodiversity and environmental changes in real time. This enables rapid response, reduces reliance on human divers and improves data accuracy.

We also invest in technologies that mimic or enhance natural systems — often called nature-based solutions. These span construction, clean energy, agriculture and water treatment, offering practical ways to cut costs, boost efficiency and restore ecosystems.

This approach redefines how we value the natural world. Ecosystems are no longer seen as passive scenery or extractable assets, but as active participants in a regenerative economy.

The Corallium Marine Life Institute lies at the heart of our regenerative approach. As both a research center and visitor experience hub, Corallium enables marine species to reproduce in controlled environments that replicate the Red Sea’s natural conditions.

These “living laboratories” allow us to test and refine ecological interventions before applying them in the wild.

Collaboration is key to our progress.

We work closely with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform, and innovation platforms such as WAVE — an initiative launched by Princess Reema bint Bandar — to support ocean-positive solutions.

These partnerships bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and conservationists to align innovation with environmental impact.

Looking ahead, global platforms such as The Ocean Race 2027, which will celebrate its Grand Finale at AMAALA, will bring international attention to the urgent need to protect ocean health.

Through sport, science and storytelling, such events help catalyze public engagement and drive meaningful change.

At Red Sea Global, we are building destinations where guests play an active role in regeneration. Through education, immersive experiences and hands-on restoration efforts, tourism becomes a practical tool for protecting natural systems.

There is growing recognition that environmental health and economic resilience are deeply connected. Regenerative tourism offers a realistic way to align development with long-term ecological and social value.

The path forward depends on collective commitment, thoughtful design and a willingness to rethink how development, nature and people coexist.

The opportunity is clear: to make regeneration the baseline — setting a new standard for tourism to build smarter, travel better, and help restore what has been lost.

• Rashid Alhatilah is the group head of environment at Red Sea Global