RIYADH: The Red Sea Project and AMAALA will be year-round tourist destinations once it is ready, putting Saudi Arabia on the global tourism map, said a top official of The Red Sea Development Co. and AMAALA. “Summer, winter, spring or autumn, you name it; it will be a year-round destination,” said Ahmad Darwish, chief administrative officer at TRSDC and AMAALA, in an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of the Future Hospitality Summit. He noted that the diversity offered by the Red Sea Project is impeccable and will make visitors stay for long. “It’s the 90 islands, 200-kilometer coastline, dunes, mountains and volcano, all in one destination. In Red Sea Project, you are not just sitting on an island like the Maldives. Instead, you have other activities like excursions. It will increase your stay, and tourists will also have repeated visits,” he said. Regenerative tourism During the interview, Darwish said that TRSDC and AMAALA are now spearheading a journey beginning from sustainability to reaching regenerative tourism. “We’re moving away from sustainability to regenerative tourism. It’s not just keeping things as it is. It’s improving the situation. We’re trying to do better things for the environment and habitats,” said Darwish. He added: “It’s a combination of things that we will do to increase our positive impact on the region. It will increase our credibility further and bring additional partners, both international and local.” Enhancing customer experience Darwish revealed that both the Red Sea Project and AMAALA are wisely using technology to enhance the customer experience. “These smart services intend to have a seamless journey for the customer. We’re also partnering with several other partners in the technology sector to improve the customer journey,” he said.