When asked how he feels about the pressure of being the first General Manager to run a hotel as part of Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary Red Sea project with the opening of the Six Senses Southern Dunes, Fredrik Blomqvist doesn’t hesitate to give a substantial splash of positivism, saying simply “Bring it on”! We met with Blomqvist at the World Travel Market in London – the first major event at which the property has been showcased to travel professionals from around the world. So just what has the feedback been like?
The reaction has been very extraordinary, positive and welcoming. There is a great interest in the destination as such. It’s our first luxury resort in Saudi Arabia with still three to come. We are the first luxury hotel opening up in this area with many, many more to come. But the interest is not only in the Six Senses and the Red Sea destination, but with all of Saudi Arabia. Our focus is on sustainability and wellness, and it works really well. It fits like a hand in a glove. So the response has been extraordinarily positive. A lot of questions. Key question that are coming is, number one, “Are you open?” Yes. Number two, “How do you get there?” The airport is open already. Red Sea International Airport has direct flights from Riyadh and Jeddah. And point number three, “Is it safe, and women do the need to wear an abaya?” And point number four, “When are you going to serve alcohol?” Same people, same organizations, these four questions are always coming up. But there is clearly a huge interest in Saudi Arabia, from the heritage, from the culture, from the destination. Travellers want to see something new and the nature is pristine with virgin land and it is totally untouched, from the beaches to the dunes. We are located inland, so there’s a great interest in that. I can tell you that the sunset over there, the way the sun is looking, it is gleaming red. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s absolutely spectacular. So there is a huge amount of positivity. And we start to see bookings coming through as well. We have already had buyouts of the resort. The trend will come more and more into international travellers as the flight starts to open up, with more direct airlines flying into the destination, but huge interest locally in the GCC countries for major large corporations.
So at the moment your prime target is GCC, but but stemming more into international as time goes on?
Yes, we have our own followers, we have our own specific clientele within Six Senses. They travel the world and they will only stay with us. And they of course, they will all come through the doors, and will tell the world about the Six Senses Southern Dunes. But it is not what we want as the sole clientele. Obviously we want to have a great mix, but if you look at a portfolio for the moment, it will be at least 80% GCC and out of the 80%, I would say 60% maybe 70% from Saudi Arabia. That’s where the interest is coming from and that is what’s going to generate our business. That will then shift into more families, wellness and sustainable tourism as the destination opens up and as more international flights will come into play from GCC; most likely Dubai and eventually direct flights from Europe as well. So that will automatically happen, but it will take some time to switch on the destination.
Absolutely. And Amaala is coming along quite well as well…
Indeed, Six Senses Amaala will broaden our offerings by enabling us to connect desert excursions with coastal activities like snorkelling and sailing. A shuttle service will link the inland dunes to the coastal Amaala, which is being developed as a top wellness destination, aiming to attract health-focused tourists from within Saudi Arabia, the GCC, and beyond.
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See also: SIX SENSES SOUTHERN DUNES OPENS FOR BUSINESS
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