Amaala – a world class wellness tourism center coming up in Saudi Arabia
Site of Amaala Project (Photo Courtesy: Saudi Gazette)
Saudi Arabia is planning to build a luxurious tourism center with international standards. It is in addition to the two mega projects in the banks of the red sea. The project cost will be mainly spent from the Sovereign Wealth Fund (Public Investment Fund) of Saudi.
Public Investment Fund has announced that they will bear the initial costs of the project, which is named as Amaala. The project will spread on 3,800 square meters will be developed on the concepts of Wellness, Healthy Living and Meditation.
Other than the PIF Funding, lots of private sector undertakings will participate in the project. However, the authorities did not disclose the total fund requirements for the project.
The Amaala is one of the dream projects of the crown prince Muhammad Bin Salman. The project is part of Saudi’s economic policy to find revenue earning sources other than oil and to attract more foreign investment to the country.
Eariler, the government has announced two projects with the objective of enhancing tourism – Red Sea Project and the Futuristic City of Neom. The Futuristic City will be developed for a cost of USD 500 billion. Meanwhile, Amaala will be developed as a natural expansion of the Mediterranean Sea.
Amaala will have an exclusive airport in its premises. 2,500 luxury hotel rooms, 200 retail centers, 700 villas are the other attractions of the city. It is expected that the project will generate 22,000 job opportunities.
PIF announced the appointment of veteran luxury hospitality and development executive Nicholas Naples as Chief Executive Officer of Amaala, who will lead development and operations for the destination.
“Amaala will awaken the world’s imagination by rephrasing the current concept of the luxury tourism experience, especially in terms integrative wellness, specialty treatments and related recreational offerings. Our concept will provide a rich service offering that exceeds customers’ expectations by providing a comprehensive suite of services not commonly found in one location that is unique by all measures. The Amaala experience will be enhanced by its setting, spread across beautiful, untouched natural sites,” said Naples.
As envisaged in Vision 2030, Amaala, along with the other giga-projects, will support the diversification of Saudi Arabia’s leisure and tourism industry, while promoting cultural conservation, ecological preservation and sustainability.