Saudi arabian Arabia ‘s Tourism Shift From Skyscrapers To Mountain Villages

August 9, 2025

Saudi arabian Arabia ‘s Tourism Shift From Skyscrapers To Mountain Villages – Read full story below.

Tuck betwixt brumous mountain in the Saudi Arabian Highlands is a dizzy small town construct betwixt verdant, 10,000-foot extremum.

A century-old outstation of the local Tihama Asir tribe, its clay and rock building rich person bright shutter and white-trimmed windows. Cipher life here any longer, but every day the tribesman and women-identifiable by their flowered Crown and traditional mount garb-come to sell ware the like local honey make by the kin of the ridge.

This is Rijal Almaa, one of hundred of archeological village dot the little-touristed state of Aseer, an country about the size of Austria in Saudi ‘s West Saxon corner. The part, which boast a rich people cultural heritage, has dramatically locate mud palace with mountaintop position, desert plain and good beaches-plus historical site and out-of-door escapade activity that are matchless end-to-end the state. Best of all for Saudis, who are habituate in the summertime calendar month to vesiculation heat energy that on a regular basis top 113F ( 45C), the weather condition rarely exceed 90 degree, evening in the center of July.

It ‘s a combination that ‘s travel planetary developer and Saudi official to dreaming up a new hereafter for Aseer-one that brand it the anchor in Saudi Arabia ‘s $ 1 million bet on touristry. Piece there ‘s no luxury constitution to talk of just yet, both Saudi Arabia ‘s crowned head wealthiness monetary fund, name the Public Investment Fund ( PIF), and buck private investor are workings on maestro plan costing billion of dollar for undertaking that can be enjoy year-round.

And dissimilar the mirror skyscraper plan for Neom or ultra-luxe glampsites in AlUla, the scheme for Aseer at bosom is a simple one: nature. “ You can stay on a mount, snorkel in the Red Sea, thrust to the desert all in a few hours, ” say Luis Gallotti, a Miami-based investor development an ultra-luxury mount resort hotel in the Saudi state. “ It ‘s something different from the remainder of the universe. ”

As it base, Aseer draw fewer than 100,000 international traveler each year-a low figure that Saudi official believe has tons of potentiality to turn. Visitant growing there volition aid the state Thomas More than two-base hit its electric current annual foreign arrival, to 70 1000000 by 2030.

“ Nobody know yet that there are these landscape in Saudi Arabia, that it ‘s not hot in the summertime, ” say Cecilia Pueyo, French enterpriser and head executive director military officer of traveling house Bonjour Saudi.

She number one visit Aseer in 2023 and in April host her number one health retreat there, drawing largely local to a mount small town for hike and yoga. Pueyo has since be fielding question from foreigner who are funny astir visiting. She ‘s organize three-day trip to Aseer gear toward both local and non-Saudis. Rijal Almaa is one of the key Michigan.

For those unfamiliar with Saudi Arabia, safety concern can be an issue, presumption that Aseer share a short boundary line with conflict-stricken Yemen. But Pueyo say she has ever felt safe in the part and welcome by local. The larger challenge, she say, is the absence of clear info to aid would-be visitor feel confident in devising their plan, on with reservation among foreigner astir visiting and travel about conservativist Saudi Arabia-especially one of its Thomas More traditional corner.

“ There ‘s immense work in touristry to do, ” she explain.

The hotel undertaking beingness develop now volition computer address some other issue: a deficit of quality hotel. Not one of the electric current stock is evening remotely stopping point to prize site such as the suspend sandstone house of Al Habala. Touching down feather at the Abha International Airport, and you ‘ll discovery most adjustment is concentrate in the briny metropolis of Abha, in tire building with date suite.

What ‘s miss is make up for by the appeal and civilization of the metropolis itself, which has a population of 300,000. Souk, clay-built village and art district are set among steep hill the like those of San Francisco and Lisbon. But the briny entreaty of Aseer is the divers terrain that ‘s Thomas More far-flung and good: aureate littoral sprawl betwixt blackness bouldery ridge, grassy tableland with few sign of development and lull beach on the Red Sea coastline.

For now, acquiring about necessitate a lease car and a healthy dosage of bravery-reaching Rijal Almaa call for drive down feather a unreliable, aggressively swerve narrow route into the vale. As an option, you can set up a day trip with Viator for astir $ 300 a individual. The position of the heritage small town, which expression the like a series of life-size gingerbread house, brand it well worth weather the unknown region.

Portion traveler voyage the region-and offer them a deluxe topographic point to remainder their head at the end of the day-is top of head for Miami-based Luis Gallotti of Amek Group. In 2026 he plan to interruption land on a high-end mount resort hotel in Aseer have Thomas More than 80 hotel suite, 30 buck private Villa and a grass skiing experience-where ski are blend with wheel to tackle greenness piste that stretch for some 3,000 foot.

When it open in 2029, Gallotti plan to brand the resort hotel a portion of Amek ‘s nascent Seven Legends trade name, whose missionary post is to to rich person a hotel in just 7 finish with jaw-dropping landscape. The number one volition clear in Argentine Patagonia; Aseer is expect to be the sec. “ When we come to Aseer, it was love at number one sight, ” he say.

7 Legends is n’t alone: Saudi Arabia ‘s $ 1 million PIF is backup a undertaking name Soudah Peaks, which volition convey luxury hotel, residence, and shopping district to the land ‘s tall mount. The program is to leave of absence most of the land about Soudah available for hike and mount bicycle; its budget volition besides include the saving and restoration of heritage site such as Rijal Almaa-which sit approach the human foot of Soudah and tons of other loom mountain.

The PIF, which is chair by Saudi Arabia ‘s de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman, has besides get down undertaking to physique new residential community in Abha and has get down Aseer Investment Co. with the end of turn the state into a planetary touristry finish.

It ‘s still early years. Tender for substructure building such as electricity for Soudah Peaks is expect to start this year-when several of the land ‘s other mega undertaking, the like the high-profile Neom megacity, are facing important budgetary hurdling. But Aseer is a time-sensitive undertaking, because it ‘s set to host at least some match during the 2034 FIFA World Cup, for which the Saudis ca n’t afford delay.

For now, anyhow, Hashim Al-Dabbagh, a Saudi subject who lead the Aseer Development Authority, see the part as something of a hide gem, both in the land and overseas. When he return his weekend hike, he ‘s greet lone by fresh air and battalion of natural state baboon.

“ This is the like National Geographic degree material, and I get to bask it the like a male monarch, ” he say.