Saudi Arabia's mega-city Neom has announced the opening of its "first physical showcase", which is a luxury Red Sea island featuring restaurants, hotels and yachting berths. Known as Sindalah, the island was first announced in December 2022. Now, its opening comes as a significant milestone for a much bigger project.
Nadhmi Al-Nasr, chief executive officer of Neom, while speaking to media said, "Neom is committed to supporting the Kingdom’s new era of luxury tourism, with the opening of Sindalah."
He further added, "The realization of this landmark destination, the gateway to the Red Sea, is due to the visionary leadership of His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi Vision 2030. This is a proud chapter in the Neom story and we are excited to achieve more of our ambitious goals, with the continued support of His Royal Highness. Neom’s inaugural destination offers visitors a ‘first glimpse’ of what the future holds for our extensive portfolio of destinations and developments.”
Neom's best tourist spot would be The Line, twin mirror-encased 170-kilometre-long skyscrapers which are meant to extend inland from the coast. Unveiling The Line in 2022, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that its population would exceed one million by 2030 before climbing to nine million by 2045.
However, Bloomberg reported earlier this year that under revised projections just 300,000 people would be living in The Line by decade's end.
Neom has been designed by yachting architecture firm, Luca Dini. The main aim of the project was to combine the natural beauty of the region with a technology-forward design and architectural theme.