Saudi Arabia is moving towards green hotels and eco-tourism

In great news for green activists in Saudi Arabia, green hotels are growing in popularity among the country's hospitality and tourism entrepreneurs.

Green projects

  Many investors are now turning their attention towards projects that promote sustainability in order to attract customers and increase revenues.

The Kingdom is the latest region to boost its green sector, adopting an environmentally friendly approach to hospitality and financing mega green projects.

Certified eco-friendly properties

Green hotels are certified eco-friendly properties. To achieve certification, a hotel must operate in accordance with sustainable development goals and use environmentally friendly practices, such as using biodegradable materials and providing energy-efficient accommodation.

A plan to develop tourism in the country

“Saudi Arabia has made significant achievements towards its commitment to attain and implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which represent an urgent call to action by the United Nations for all countries” said Abdulaziz Al-Meezani, Head of Sustainability at Renewable Energy and Circular Economy. At the Royal Commission for the city of Riyadh.

He said that the Kingdom's sustainability goals are part of a plan to develop tourism in the country, adding that this is evident in its adoption of international sustainability standards in travel and tourism, which were developed by the World Council for Sustainable Tourism.

The establishment of the Global Center for Sustainable Tourism, which aims to advance the tourism industry while aligning it with the Kingdom’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2060, is another step in the right direction.

Tourism sector

The Center brings together governments, international organisations, academia, funding institutions and industry associations, with the aim of reducing the tourism sector's estimated 8 per cent contribution to total global greenhouse gases and moving towards net zero emissions.

Al-Mizani added: “The largest investor in the field of tourism and hospitality in the Kingdom is the government, as green hotels are part of the DNA of sustainability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Public Investment Fund projects

Some Public Investment Fund projects, including the Red Sea International Company, NEOM, the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, and other quasi-governmental initiatives, are consistent with the concept of green hotels.

Al-Mizani said that if hotels want to become environmentally friendly properties, they must avoid the use of plastic products, provide green transportation facilities, encourage a paperless policy or reduce the use of paper to a minimum, promote energy efficiency and clean energy solutions, and implement a food waste reduction policy.

Finally, Al-Mizani believes that business owners must support, develop and motivate tourists and guests to participate in overall sustainable efforts in Saudi Arabia.

He added: "If we think about the developer's commitment to building green hotels, it is a long-term commitment to clean energy and a better environment for us and our children to live in."