Inside a nature reserve
The Public Investment Fund announced AMAALA on 26 September 2018. It lies on the Red Sea coast of Tabuk Province, in the Kingdom's north-west, within the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Nature Reserve. Its developer is Red Sea Global, which also builds The Red Sea destination.
Construction was under way by 2023, with more than 600 contracts awarded, and readiness work for the first phase followed in 2024. Red Sea Global's timeline places the opening of Phase One in 2026.
Three themes
The destination is shaped around wellness, art and marine discovery. Among its named resorts are the Clinique La Prairie Health Resort, Jayasom Wellness Resort and Six Senses AMAALA. The Corallium Marine Life Institute is planned as a research and visitor centre, and the AMAALA Yacht Club is designed by HKS Architects.
Energy is to come entirely from renewable sources, with zero-waste systems and greywater reuse. A utilities hub supplies clean power, desalinated water and district cooling, and Red Sea Global targets a 30% net conservation gain at its destinations by 2040.