With its pristine coral reefs and a vast array of marine life, the Red Sea is one of the most beautiful and most highly rated diving destinations.
For this reason, Saudi Arabia brought in Philippe Cousteau Jr, who is the grandson of the world-famous French marine explorer, to help develop not only a luxury tourism destination, but a sustainable one on 50 islands in the Red Sea.
"The coral reef is the fourth largest in the world. It's very healthy and we're committed to protecting the health of the reef," says Tracey Lanza, Group Head of Global Branding for The Red Sea Development Company.
However, this doesn't only mean maintaining the health of the reef, the team is also committed towards enhancing the biodiversity 100%.
"Our aim is to set new standards in regenerative tourism, sustainable development, respecting the natural world, creating opportunities for the local communities and protecting and enhancing the destination for the future."
The project is part of the country's efforts to diversify its economy by boosting new sectors such as green tourism.
The site also has a Landscape Nursery, which will provide more than 15 million plants for the destination.
"We're looking at this as a complete change in how tourism happens in Saudi Arabia and leading by example for the rest of the world," says Tracey Lanza.
