The Red Sea Development Company – which oversees one of the largest tourism construction projects in the world – has selected Accenture as its partner for the Smart Destination Programme.
Under the umbrella of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea Development Company is developing over 28,000 km2 of commercial, residential and leisure properties as well as pristine lands and waters along Saudi Arabia’s west coast. The goal: to turn the region into a luxury, regenerative tourism destination for domestic and international tourists.
According to the project’s blueprint, the Red Sea region will upon completion attract one million visitors every year, and is slated to increase Saudi’s gross domestic product by close to $6 billion per year.
In addition, the Red Sea Project aims to set new standards in sustainable development and eco-tourism, and will include an archipelago of more than 90 untouched natural islands, as well as dormant volcanoes, desert, and cultural sites.
The mega-programme (the first phase alone will cost more than SAR 30 billion) comprises several separate workstreams and sub-programmes, each working towards the same goal of delivering the first phase (spanning 3,000 hotel rooms, an airport, marina and recreation centers) by the end of 2022.
Accenture has now been selected as the lead consultant to the Smart Destination Programme – the workstream that is tasked with ensuring that the Red Sea region will be able to offer visitors a “seamless digital connection and visitor experience”, explained John Pagano, Chief Executive Officer of the Red Sea Development Company.
“We’re committed to providing our visitors with a seamless, personalised service,” said Pagano, adding that smart technology has the potential to revolutionise the entire visitor experience, from the first step in the engagement process through to the on-site experience during the stay.
“We are proud to have appointed a leading consulting and technology firm in the sustainable tourism sector to help us deliver our destination in line with Vision 2030. Technical innovation underpins every aspect of our objectives for the Red Sea Project.”
Accenture will support the Smart Destination Programme in the areas of enterprise architecture design and technology to integrate partners and systems in bringing the platform online, while ensuring quality and timely delivery of the complex visitor-driven program.
“To bring the smart destination to life, Accenture brings a host of capabilities in enterprise architecture, digital services, luxury tourism, and mega-venue visitor experience,” said Khaled Al-Dhaher, Accenture's country managing director in Saudi Arabia.
Accenture will also help the Red Sea Development Company with the technology backbone required to monitor the impact of visitors on the biosphere, “in keeping with our commitment to protect the environment,” said Pagano.
Among the many other consultants working on the Red Sea Project are McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group and Mott MacDonald.
Sourced from Consultancy.me