The Business of Middle East Superyachting

Sindalah Island, NEOM. Saudi Arabia

Superyacht Destination Sindalah Island To Open Doors This Friday for “Red Sea Week”

On the occasion of Red Sea Week (RSW), Ultra-luxury development NEOM is set to welcome guests for the grand opening of Sindalah Island on Friday, October 25th. 

Located in, the 840,000 square meter Sindalah Island was the first region to be announced by the NEOM, marketed as a superyacht destination in the Red Sea, accessible through the Suez Canal. The island is in part designed by Luca Dini and features environmentally friendly safeguards including renewable energy sources and advanced waste management systems. 

Sindalah Marina is set to operate at an 86-berth capacity for superyachts up to 180 meters in length,  alongside 75 off-shore buoys. In June 2023, IGY Marinas was announced to oversee the management of the development.  The marina recently received a 5-Gold Anchor Accreditation by The International Yacht Harbour Association.

Sindalah NEOM
Sindalah Marina will accommodate 86 berths for superyachts up to 180 meters in length.

The island recently announced Sindalah Yacht Club, with designs penned by Italian designer Stefano Ricci, spans 1,800 square meters and will also feature a lounge and an exclusive fine-dining experience curated by Chef Enrico Bartolini. Management of Sindalah Yacht Club will be overseen by IGY Marinas.

Sindalah Yacht Cub
Sindalah Yacht Cub, designed by Stefano Ricci

The Kingdom began plans to turn the Red Sea into an appealing cruising destination for superyacht owners in 2021, forming the Saudi Red Sea Authority in 2021, a government entity building and regulating the coastal tourism sector in Saudi Arabia. Over the past three years, SRSA has enhanced integration between the relevant parties through issuing licenses and permits, developing requisite strategies and policies, adding safeguards to preserve the marine environment, and determining the requirements for marine infrastructure.

At the end of September, SRSA has announced it’s partnership with with The International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA). The two parties formed a strategic alliance, where ICOMIA will help the Kingdom to establish connections with the global recreation boating industry, providing technical insight, and offering access to specialist training and development.

Moreover, the SRSA was a catalyst in setting tourist goals for Saudi Arabia. A recently published report “Investing in Coastal Tourism” revealed the Kingdom’s plans to attract 19 million visitors and create over 200,000 jobs by 2030, emphasizing the role marine tourism plays in this respect as the plans also plan on contributing approximately SAR85 billion (US$22.64 billion) to GDP by 2030

Finally, marina and cruise terminal codes were put into place. SRSA introduced four industry-specific codes to improve the coastal tourism infrastructure: the Marina Planning and Design Code, the Cruise Terminal Planning and Design Code, the Marina Operations Code, and the Cruise Terminal Operations Code.

Red Sea Week runs from 25-27 October.