The Shushah Island Coral Park will become a global centre for innovations that protect and restore coral reefs.  Located off the coast of the Red Sea, the island will include the world’s largest coral garden, a marina, hotels, villas, a beach club, a museum, and a research centre.  According to the latest imagery, the museum will even be located underwater providing visitors with a unique and immersive experience.

The coral garden is the centrepiece of the project, set to be completed in 2025, and is part of NEOM’s commitment to developing in harmony with nature and creating a sustainable relationship between people and the planet.

On completion, the coral reef scape will provide a research and development opportunity for coral preservation and attract international scientists, researchers, and eco-conscious travellers.

Cayan Group, a leading real estate investment and development company in the Middle East, has signed a development agreement with NEOM, a gigaproject spanning 26,500 square kilometers in northwest Saudi Arabia.

Under the agreement, Cayan Group will fully fund and develop a Hampton By Hilton hotel situated at the NEOM Community site to meet the rapidly rising accommodation demand from the construction sector– a critical component to further progress earthworks at the site. Construction, led by BEC Arabia, has already started on the hotel, and it is expected to open by the end of 2023. 

Hotelschool The Hague has announced the launch of the 2023 Sustainable Hospitality Challenge (SHC). This year’s edition will include for the first time, leading international architecture, technology and design universities who will be joining the participating top-tier hospitality institutions to form multidisciplinary student teams.  The Sustainable Hospitality Challenge (SHC) is a Hotelschool The Hague initiative that aims to enhance the evolution of sustainable hospitality, foster innovation driven by the leaders of tomorrow, and nurture talent on a global scale by bringing them close to industry organisations who want to reimagine the future of hospitality.

Over 40+ universities from around the globe, including returning champions, Cornell University, Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Ryerson University, Hotel Institute Montreux, CY Cergy Paris Université, and Hotelschool The Hague, will be competing in this year’s challenge.

Saudi Arabia’s super city NEOM is planning its own football team. The NEOM Football Club has been confirmed by chiefs, hoping that a match against Barcelona would bring fans to The LINE.  The 170km vertical city will house numerous football stadiums.

Saudi Arabia's NEOM city launched a new accelerator programme Seven Senses to promote entrepreneurship in the NEOM and Tabuk region. This programme would support SMEs, professionals, innovators, and businesses. The accelerator programme is open to all sectors, however, some of them would receive greater attention, according to a report by Fast Company Middle East. These include perfumery, pottery, jewellery, clothing, skincare, tourism, arts and culture, and public service, among others.

More details about Saudi Arabia’s newest airline, NEOM Airlines, have been revealed by the carrier’s chief executive, Klaus Goersch.  In a blog post the CEO, who has been chief operating officer at British Airways and Air Canada, set out his vision for the airline and confirmed that NEOM will launch at the end of 2024.   NEOM Airlines will serve Saudi Arabia’s futuristic city, NEOM, a $500bn futuristic gigacity being built in the north-west of the country and the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

NEOM is preparing to shift the focus of the world’s largest piling project to THE LINE modules at the marina as excavation work for the waterway reaches an advanced stage.   The structures that make up THE LINE comprise 135 modules that are 800 metres in length and 500 metres tall at sea level. In total, THE LINE is 170 kilometres long and extends from the Red Sea coast inland towards Tabuk.   Modules 45, 46 and 47 are at the marina, which is expected to be two times bigger than any other marina in the world and capable of hosting the largest cruise ships.