Saudi Red Sea Authority Bolsters Coastal Tourism With 'More Than A Sea' Campaign

The Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) has introduced a campaign named "More Than a Sea." This initiative underscores SRSA's contributions to coastal tourism through four main pillars: regulations, sustainability, investment attraction, and tourism promotion in the Red Sea.

The campaign highlights SRSA's regulatory role in setting policies, strategies, plans, programs, and initiatives necessary for regulating navigational and marine tourism activities. It also involves issuing licenses and permits and preparing the infrastructure for these activities. In collaboration with relevant entities, SRSA has issued seven regulations to manage coastal tourism activities in Saudi Arabia.

Environmental protection is another key focus of the campaign. SRSA aims to safeguard the marine environment by working with public and private sectors to develop mechanisms that ensure environmental protection. This includes fostering the blue economy, preserving natural assets, producing nautical maps for safe navigation, managing marine waste, installing mooring buoys, and establishing weather monitoring stations.

"More Than a Sea" also emphasizes attracting investments in the Red Sea region. The area offers a promising investment environment with unique features such as a population of around 7 million people supporting coastal tourism along an extensive 1,800 km coastline. The diverse landscapes, climates, cultures, heritage, valuable marine treasures, and charming nature create an appealing environment for enthusiasts and practitioners.

The Red Sea coast boasts over 150 beaches, more than 1,000 islands, and 130 cultural, historical, and biological assets. It is rich in natural beauty with over 20 blue holes and more than 500 diving sites. The region's diverse culture includes traditions, customs, architecture, clothing, and over 50 traditional dishes.

The campaign also highlights SRSA's efforts to promote various coastal tourism activities such as cruise ships, yachts, diving, snorkeling, recreational fishing, recreational boats, and beach activities. Tourists are encouraged to explore and experience the unique coastal offerings of the Red Sea.

In line with Saudi Vision 2030's objectives to diversify income sources, SRSA aims for the coastal tourism sector to contribute SAR 85 billion ($22.65 billion) to the GDP by 2030. Additionally, they plan to increase spending to reach SAR 123 billion and create 210,000 jobs during this period. This effort supports diversifying Saudi Arabia's non-oil income sources.

Through these initiatives under "More Than a Sea," SRSA aims to build a thriving coastal tourism sector that aligns with national economic goals while preserving the natural beauty of the Red Sea region.