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Sindalah
Island in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sindalah (stylized SINDALAH; Arabic: سندالة) is a luxury island destination in Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia. Sindalah is one of the various announced regions in Neom City. The island covers a total area of 840,000 m2 (9 million sq ft).[3] Sindalah held a "grand opening" party in October 2024,[4][5] three years after its scheduled opening date and coming in at a cost of nearly $4 billion, three times its initial budget. As of March 2025 the resort is still not open to the public.[6]
The luxury island is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 efforts to establish a strong tourism industry and is expected to create 3,500 jobs.[7] Sindalah aims to attract 2,400 visitors per day by the year 2028.[8]
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Design
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The island is 20 acres in size and was designed by Luca Dini who sought it to be akin to a village of luxury resorts.[9][2] The island has a sports club, spa and wellness center, more than 51 luxury retail outlets, a golf course, and 38 restaurants, 12 of which are run by Michelin star chefs including Carlo Cracco, as well as a MasterChef partnership.[2][10][11] Dini wanted the island to also blend into the coral reefs and clear waters of the Red Sea.[2] The island incorporates "interactive" quartz pillars to sensory experiences and includes thousands of coral pieces that were relocated from abroad to "enhance" the existing reef around the island.[2] The urban core of Sindalah is aptly called The Village and consists of luxury hotels and retail offerings.[12]
Sindalah was designed from the ground up to be a superyacht destination, namely to compete with yachting in the Caribbean as a winter destination.[2] The island's marina has 85 berths for yachts up to 165 feet, and buoys just outside the harbor to accommodate yachts up to 550 feet.[2][13] The island is 17 hours away from most Mediterranean yachting destinations and will act as NEOM’s entry point to the Red Sea - providing easy access for European, Saudi and GCC boat owners.[12]
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History
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Background
The island was officially announced in December 2022 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil.[14][15] About 40,000 workers worked on the Sindalah project.[2] The Saudi government hired four local contracting partners and up to 60 subcontractors.[12]
Following its announcement, several hotel projects are currently in the pipeline on Sindalah. Marriott International has signed a deal to open three properties in 2024, including a 70-key Luxury Collection beach resort, a 115-key Luxury Collection city hotel, and a 66-key Autograph Collection,[16] while a 277-key Four Seasons hotel is slated for opening in 2026.[17]
Opening party
Sindalah announced its opening on 27 October 2024, with a party organized by Robb Report consisting of 65 superyachts with celebrities including Alicia Keys, Katherine Jenkins, and Chris Tucker alongside the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra.[18][2] The opening party cost at least $45 million, according to Neom official documents.[6] At the time of its opening the island was still under development, with the island planning 413 luxury hotel rooms and 333 apartments.[2]
Project sponsor Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was expected to be at the opening ceremony, but he did not show.[6] The Times reported that Mohammed was "unimpressed" with the megaproject and Dini's design and fired Neom CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr shortly afterwards.[19]
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Status
Despite the "opening" party, the Wall Street Journal reported that as of March 2025, Sindalah remains closed to the public[6] and its fate is uncertain.[20]
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References
External links
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