GOCO consults on vast zero-carbon resort in Saudi Arabia
By Megan Whitby 30 Dec 2019
Plans have been announced for a zero-carbon resort destination to be built by the Red Sea in northwest Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince is chairing the project as part of his Vision 2030 Programme, which aims to reduce the Kingdom’s dependence on oil and develop public service sectors, such as tourism, leisure, health and education.
Set to open in 2030, the 31.4sq km (12.1sq mi) mixed-use development project, called AMAALA, will range across three different locations – called Triple Bay, The Island and The Coastal Development – which will accommodate approximately 835 villas and condominiums.
Triple Bay will be the core of AMAALA, and will feature wellness, medical and surgical facilities. It will include an integrative holistic wellness centre, medical wellness resort, a wellness village and a wellness research institute.
The institute will serve as an on-site centre for wellness scholarship, grounded in Arabian culture, knowledge and science. It will facilitate research into ways of combatting lifestyle diseases and promoting preventative health measures across the AMAALA project.
The Wellness Village will offer guests the chance to experience sustainable wellness through dining experiences, events and retail, as well as beauty, holistic and medical wellness offerings.
The initial seed funding will be provided by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, while private sector companies and market investors will be invited at a later date to invest in the project, as well as operate the project's facilities.
AMAALA is headed up by CEO Nicholas Naples who has 30 years’ industry experience and has previously worked for luxury brands, including Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Caesars Entertainment and Las Vegas Sands.
Ingo Schweder, founder and CEO of GOCO and MD of Howarth HTL Health and Wellness, has been appointed to provide hospitality development and industry expertise.
Schweder said: “I‘m proud to be a part of this project, and hope that our focused input will help drive a concept of wellness that can be found across AMAALA, a project I believe will set a new benchmark for the luxury wellness hospitality industry.”
GOCO Hospitality has also been assisting AMAALA by offering wellness guidance for the masterplanning stage, as well as technical services and design recommendations.
In addition to the wellness core, AMAALA will feature a range of active sport offerings including equestrian facilities, polo, diving, yachting, golf, falconry, camel racing and more.
AMAALA’s two other resort sites will offer arts and culture programming, bespoke retail and dining experiences, as well as a contemporary art museum and marine institute.
Construction is set to start in 2020, with all phases completed by 2028.
The Dorchester Collection’s Parisian outpost, Hôtel Plaza Athénée, has refreshed its Dior spa with new facilities and exclusive wellness programming. Complete with five single treatment rooms, a couple’s treatment room, a sauna and a hammam, ...More
Therme Group has received planning permission to build the UK’s first city-based wellbeing resort, Therme Manchester, after a four-year journey. Planning approval has been granted for the UK’s first city-based wellbeing resort, Therme Manchester, in ...More
Improved mental health is now a stronger motivation for Brits to exercise than staying in shape. More than half of respondents (54 per cent) to a survey of 2,271 people – commissioned by UK Active ...More
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its first-ever report on the "devastating global impact" of high blood pressure, along with recommendations on the ways to win the race against the condition. The report, called ...More
Wellness travel is one of the fastest-growing tourism segments globally and was most recently valued at US$436 billion (£349.8 billion, €407 billion) by the Global Wellness Institute. In 2022, WeTravel surveyed nearly 200 travel businesses ...More
Soneva will open a new US$40 million (£32.1 million, €37.4 million) resort in the Maldives’ secluded Haa Dhaalu atoll on 10 January 2024. The intimate 14-key resort will be the flagship Soneva Secret property – ...More
European health spa hotel operator Ensana has announced plans to operate its first Bulgarian location this October. Launched in 2019, Ensana manages 27 hotels in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and the UK, many ...More
Samantha Ashton has stepped up to a new role as director of spa UK & Ireland at UK-based global spa and wellbeing brand ESPA. Having worked at ESPA for five years, Ashton initially joined as ...More
Children who take part in organised physical activity or sport over their first two school years, while also having better diets and spending more time reading have more powerful reasoning skills than peers who don't ...More
Iconic wellness and fitness destination Rancho La Puerta is under new leadership with the appointment of Eliezer Quiñones as new general manager. A hospitality industry veteran with more than two decades of experience, Quiñones will ...More
Former world number one tennis player Maria Sharapova has entered into a multi-year partnership to become Aman’s first-ever global wellness ambassador. In her new role, the Russian former elite athlete will co-create a series of ...More
US longevity franchise Serotonin Centers has expanded its footprint with a second Florida location in Winter Park. The brand will open three additional private member clubs in Orlando within the next year. Named after the ...More
Starpool works to improve people’s quality of life and give real meaning to longevity. For
the company, actively caring for physical and psychological wellbeing is an investment for
both long- and short-term health. ... more
GOCO consults on vast zero-carbon resort in Saudi Arabia
POSTED 30 Dec 2019 . BY Megan Whitby
The resort is set to open in 2030.
I‘m proud to be a part of this project, and hope that our focused input will help drive a concept of wellness that can be found across AMAALA – Ingo Schweder, founder and CEO of GOCO
Plans have been announced for a zero-carbon resort destination to be built by the Red Sea in northwest Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince is chairing the project as part of his Vision 2030 Programme, which aims to reduce the Kingdom’s dependence on oil and develop public service sectors, such as tourism, leisure, health and education.
Set to open in 2030, the 31.4sq km (12.1sq mi) mixed-use development project, called AMAALA, will range across three different locations – called Triple Bay, The Island and The Coastal Development – which will accommodate approximately 835 villas and condominiums.
Triple Bay will be the core of AMAALA, and will feature wellness, medical and surgical facilities. It will include an integrative holistic wellness centre, medical wellness resort, a wellness village and a wellness research institute.
The institute will serve as an on-site centre for wellness scholarship, grounded in Arabian culture, knowledge and science. It will facilitate research into ways of combatting lifestyle diseases and promoting preventative health measures across the AMAALA project.
The Wellness Village will offer guests the chance to experience sustainable wellness through dining experiences, events and retail, as well as beauty, holistic and medical wellness offerings.
The initial seed funding will be provided by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, while private sector companies and market investors will be invited at a later date to invest in the project, as well as operate the project's facilities.
AMAALA is headed up by CEO Nicholas Naples who has 30 years’ industry experience and has previously worked for luxury brands, including Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Caesars Entertainment and Las Vegas Sands.
Ingo Schweder, founder and CEO of GOCO and MD of Howarth HTL Health and Wellness, has been appointed to provide hospitality development and industry expertise.
Schweder said: “I‘m proud to be a part of this project, and hope that our focused input will help drive a concept of wellness that can be found across AMAALA, a project I believe will set a new benchmark for the luxury wellness hospitality industry.”
GOCO Hospitality has also been assisting AMAALA by offering wellness guidance for the masterplanning stage, as well as technical services and design recommendations.
In addition to the wellness core, AMAALA will feature a range of active sport offerings including equestrian facilities, polo, diving, yachting, golf, falconry, camel racing and more.
AMAALA’s two other resort sites will offer arts and culture programming, bespoke retail and dining experiences, as well as a contemporary art museum and marine institute.
Construction is set to start in 2020, with all phases completed by 2028.
The destination will have a Museum of Art.
The 31.4sq km (12.1sq mi) destination will be a mixed-use development.
The resort will have a wellness core.
The resort will also include a yacht club.
AMAALA will feature a range of active sport offerings including equestrian facilities, polo, diving, yachting, golf, falconry, camel racing and more.
Construction is set to start in 2020.
The Prince of Saudi Arabia is chairing the project.
AMAALA is headed up by CEO Nicholas Naples who has 30 years’ industry experience.
The resort will offer 835 villas and also include underwater villas.
Resort guests will also be able to visit a marine institute.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its first-ever report on the "devastating
global impact" of high blood pressure, along with recommendations on the ways to win the race
against the condition.
Wellness travel is one of the fastest-growing tourism segments globally and was most recently
valued at US$436 billion (£349.8 billion, €407 billion) by the Global Wellness Institute.
