Amsterdam has been searching for any way to rein in the number of tourists that visit the city every year.
03.04.2024 - 13:55 / insider.com / Red Sea Global
When John Pagano arrived in Saudi Arabia in 2018, the country subverted his expectations. "We all paint a picture in our minds of what the Middle East is about," he said. "I found a pristine environment, an archipelago of 90 beautiful islands, and turquoise-colored water. It was truly remarkable."
Pagano, who is Canadian, was moving to the Kingdom to take up a role as chief executive officer of Red Sea Global (RSG), a major new developer of ambitious regenerative tourism destinations. Pagano, an engineer by training, has had a long career working on large-scale real estate projects, including the Canary Wharf development in London and the Baha Mar project in the Bahamas. But this was unlike anything he had done before in its sheer scale. "I was persuaded by His Royal Highness and his vision for transforming the country," he said. "I had the opportunity to be part of it."
Progress has been rapid. When Pagano joined RSG six years ago, he was the company's 15th employee. Today, RSG employs around 5,000 people. RSG's portfolio includes two coastal destinations: The Red Sea and AMAALA. The first resorts at The Red Sea are already open, with luxury hospitality brands Six Senses and St Regis already welcoming guest, with the Ritz-Carlton Reserve joining imminently. By 2030 the destination will be home to 50 hotels, 8,000 rooms and up to 1,000 residential properties, as well as entertainment and leisure facilities. AMAALA, meanwhile, will be home to more than 3,900 hotel rooms across 29 hotels, and 1,200 luxury residential homes, alongside high-end retail establishments, fine dining, and wellness facilities. A third destination, Thuwal Private Retreat, is a buy-out-only resort set to open this year.
Given how remote the three sites are, construction involves building wider infrastructure around the destinations: airports, roads, villages for workers to live in. All of this is done with the company's regenerative ethos in mind: the airport, for instance, aims to be the first in the Middle East to be fully carbon-neutral. "Historically, companies in the region do large-scale developments using third parties," Pagano said. He took a different course: Building a vertically-integrated real estate company to deliver The Red Sea.
Central to RSG's work is the idea of regenerative tourism, which seeks to actively improve the local environment and economy, rather than simply avoiding harm, and to involve local communities in decision making. "Sustainability is about maintaining the status quo, and we're past that that particular point — the world is facing an environmental and ecological crisis," Pagano said. The Red Sea will be the largest destination in the world powered exclusively by renewable energy, 24 hours a
Amsterdam has been searching for any way to rein in the number of tourists that visit the city every year.
Tiny homes have been popping up everywhere, from backyards in California to entire neighborhoods in Florida.
Traveling with a dog can be challenging, and one dog brand is helping to change that.
Breeze Airways is deepening its ties to Florida. The startup ultra-low-cost carrier is adding Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) near Fort Myers as its newest operating base later this year.
Legendary supermodel and entrepreneur Cindy Crawford and the founders of Casamigos, Rande Gerber, George Clooney, and Mike Meldman, unveil
United Airlines is growing its international route network once again.
Though K-beauty first landed stateside back in 2011 — when Dr.Jart+ flooded the shelves of Sephora stores across the country and spawned the BB cream craze — South Korean skincare products have experienced a resurgence in popularity in the past few years.
A passenger aboard a New Zealand Air flight from Auckland to Sydney has been fined for urinating into a cup during a delay in deplaning.
A 420-mete white steel tube running alongside a railway line in the windswept northern Netherlands could usher in a new era in the transportation of people and freight.
A Swiss International Air Lines plane had to turn back to Newark after a passenger reportedly injured a flight attendant while trying to enter the cockpit.
While I might be one of TPG's hotel reporters, I still consider myself an AvGeek with an appreciation for the flight service of yesteryear — even if I did come of age at a time when bags of mini pretzels were considered an inflight luxury.
Here are ten of the newest dining experiences that contribute to London’s well-deserved reputation as a global culinary destination, from hotels with big-name chefs to some must-visit independents.