Raffles The Red Sea is being positioned as the pinnacle of Shura Island’s hospitality offer — a statement of intent for Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious luxury destination and a defining moment for the Red Sea’s ultra-luxury narrative.
Speaking to SAFE at ILTM Cannes, Charles Saliba, Managing Director of Raffles and Fairmont The Red Sea, describes Shura Island without hesitation as “the heart of the Red Sea”. “It’s a beautiful, gorgeous project. Eleven world-class resorts, an 18-hole golf course — this is where the destination really comes together.”
Scheduled to open in June next year, with a grand opening planned for October, Raffles The Red Sea will introduce one of the world’s most storied ultra-luxury brands into a purpose-built island resort environment. “That October opening will really be inaugurating the whole destination,” Saliba explains. “Not just the resorts and the golf course, but Shura Island as a complete destination.”
Shura Island: the centrepiece of the Red Sea
The Red Sea destination has been deliberately rolled out in stages. Guests were first introduced to the region through Six Senses Southern Dunes, followed by Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St. Regis Red Sea Island Resort, and more recently Shebara, whose futuristic overwater villas have already captured global attention. “The destination started step by step,” Saliba says. “Now Shura Island is where everything converges.”
Momentum has accelerated in recent months with the opening of the championship golf course and The Edition, followed by InterContinental and the imminent launch of SLS. The remaining resorts will open progressively through to the second quarter of next year.
Why Raffles changes the equation
For Saliba, Raffles occupies a very specific space within the destination’s hierarchy. “Raffles targets the ultra-luxury, ultra-affluent guest,” he says. “One of the key pillars of the brand is the butler. It’s about delivering something genuinely personal — doing magical things for guests.”
Alongside Raffles, Fairmont The Red Sea will appeal to affluent leisure and business travellers seeking scale, lifestyle and connectivity. Together, the two brands allow advisors to segment clients with clarity and confidence.
Airlift, access and ultra-luxury demand
Market development at The Red Sea closely follows air connectivity. “Our target markets follow the airlift,” Saliba explains. “From Europe, we have Beond — an all-business-class airline flying from Milan and Zurich.”
With just 44 business-class seats, BeOnd operates directly into Red Sea International Airport, before continuing on to the Maldives — a routing that resonates strongly with seasoned ultra-luxury travellers. “From a business-class perspective, this changes everything,” Saliba says.
At present, regional demand dominates. “Since the destination opened, more than 70% of our feeder markets have been Saudi Arabia and the GCC,” he notes. “But Europe, Asia and the Americas are clearly part of the next phase.”
Why advisors should look closely at Shura Island
Accessibility is one of Shura Island’s defining advantages. “You land at the airport and within 30 minutes, in the same vehicle, you are at your resort,” Saliba says. “That’s extremely rare for a destination of this calibre.”
Equally compelling is the breadth of experience. “You have the beach, the mangroves, the golf course,” he explains. “Guests can enjoy dining, wellness and spa experiences within their resort, but they can also move easily between properties, explore other restaurants and enjoy the golf course. It creates real freedom.”
Raffles The Red Sea is designed to work as part of a broader Saudi travel narrative. “With Raffles in Jeddah, Fairmont in Riyadh, future Raffles in Diriyah and a Fairmont resort planned in Al Khobar, we can create what I call a ‘journey through Arabia’,” Saliba says. “It’s not just about The Red Sea — it’s about connecting the whole country.”
This approach allows high-end travel advisors to design longer, story-led itineraries combining coastline, culture and city.
A perspective shaped by transformation
Saliba’s outlook is informed by more than three decades in hospitality and a long-standing relationship with Saudi Arabia. “I worked in Saudi Arabia from 2001 to 2009, then left for ten years, and came back six years ago,” he says. “What I see now is not change — it’s transformation.”
After senior roles with IHG across the Middle East and earlier experience with Accor in Lebanon, Saliba returned to the Kingdom with Habitas, helping redefine Saudi Arabia’s experiential luxury offer. “Habitas AlUla showed the world the new face of Saudi Arabia,” he says. “Culture, heritage, art, generosity — all of that came together.”
What continues to inspire him most is the next generation. “You meet Saudi students in their early twenties and they articulate Vision 2030 with incredible clarity,” he says. “They believe in it. That level of patriotism is inspiring.”
The SAFE perspective
For high-end travel advisors, Raffles The Red Sea is truly a flagship property, anchoring Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious destination and signalling the Kingdom’s long-term intent at the very top end of global hospitality.
As Saliba puts it: “Whatever experience you’re looking for — beach, desert, mountains, culture — you can find it in Saudi Arabia. And now, with The Red Sea, we’re showing the world just how far that journey has come.”
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