Red Sea Project to provide 1,300 residential units, 8,000 hotel rooms upon completion: CEO

The Red Sea Project, upon completion, will provide 1,300 residential units and 8,000 rooms in 48 hotels to be built on 22 islands and six locations, Al-Eqtisadiah reported, citing John Pagano, CEO of the Red Sea Development Company.

The first phase of the project includes 14 luxury hotels that will be built over five islands with total area of over 7 square kilometers, he said.

The project offers great job opportunities in technology, sustainability, construction, engineering and many other industries, in addition to hospitality and tourism jobs that will be available upon completion.  

“We are hiring the best people from all over the world, especially that the skills we need for a project of this size are not available in one country. We, however, give Saudis the priority,” he was quoted as saying.

According to data compiled by Argaam, the Red Sea Development Company’s board of directors approved the masterplan of the Red Sea Project on Jan. 22.

The first phase of the project, set to be completed in 2022, includes over 3,000 hotel rooms, a yacht dock, entertainment facilities, an airport, as well as finishing utility infrastructure.

Upon the finalization of all phases, 22 islands will be developed (out of over 90 islands) and over 70,000 job opportunities will be provides. The project is seen to drive economic diversification in the Kingdom by attracting around 1 million tourists per year and contributing SAR 22 billion to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product (GDP).