Saudi Arabia announced a series of new marina, tourism and marine-services initiatives at the Monaco Yacht Show 2026, expanding infrastructure along its Red Sea coastline as the country seeks to attract more international yacht traffic and investment.
The announcements include a network connecting two major Red Sea marinas, a new international yacht show in Jeddah, plans to explore a specialized yacht-maintenance facility and a digital platform designed to simplify licensing and permits for coastal tourism businesses.
New Network Connects 278 Marina Berths
Red Sea Global unveiled Yachting Network, a marina and yacht-club operating network that will initially connect AMAALA Yacht Club and Shura Island Marina.
Beginning in winter 2026, yacht owners and operators will be able to access both locations under a single berthing contract, covering a combined 278 berths.
AMAALA Marina will provide 119 berths and Shura Island Marina 159. Both facilities are designed to accommodate yachts measuring up to 120 meters.
Additional marinas and anchorages are expected to join the network in 2027, according to the Saudi Tourism Authority.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to connect infrastructure along Saudi Arabia’s more than 1,800 kilometers of Red Sea coastline and develop services for yacht owners, charter operators and other marine-tourism businesses.
Jeddah to Host Red Sea Yacht Show in 2027
Saudi Arabia also announced the inaugural Red Sea Yacht Show, scheduled for Oct. 14-17, 2027, at Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina.
The event will be powered by the Monaco Yacht Show and organized by Tahaluf in partnership with Sela.
Its October timing places the event near the end of the Mediterranean yachting season, when some vessels reposition for winter operations.
Saudi tourism authorities are promoting the Red Sea as a potential winter cruising destination, citing its access through the Suez Canal, warmer seasonal waters and expanding network of marinas and tourism developments.
Yacht Maintenance Investment Planned for Jeddah
Several memorandums of understanding were also signed during the Monaco event.
Among them, SELA and ICON Saudi agreed to explore the development of a specialized luxury-yacht maintenance facility in Jeddah.
If developed, the project would expand Saudi Arabia’s technical infrastructure for vessels operating in the Red Sea and provide maintenance capabilities closer to regional marinas.
New Digital Platform Targets Coastal Tourism
The Saudi Red Sea Authority separately announced RASA, a unified digital platform for coastal tourism services.
The system is intended to consolidate licensing and permit procedures into a single digital process for yacht owners, operators, charter companies and investors.
By bringing regulatory services onto one platform, Saudi authorities aim to simplify access to the country’s expanding coastal-tourism market as new marinas, resorts and marine businesses begin operations.
“The developments announced at Monaco reflect the transition of the Saudi Red Sea from an emerging yachting destination into an increasingly connected and operational cruising ecosystem,” said Hazim AlHazmi, president of the Europe and Americas Business Unit at the Saudi Tourism Authority.
The initiatives cover destinations including Jeddah, The Red Sea and AMAALA, combining marina infrastructure with resorts, yacht clubs, events and marine services.
For Saudi Arabia, the expansion adds another component to its broader tourism-development strategy: building the infrastructure needed not only to attract visitors to the Red Sea, but also to support the vessels, operators and businesses serving the international yachting market.
