AlUla Wins Gold at 2026 ICRT Responsible Tourism Awards

AlUla has won Gold in the Nature Positive Responsible Tourism Award category at the 2026 ICRT Responsible Tourism Awards, recognizing its nature-first approach to tourism development and efforts to protect and restore the destination’s natural ecosystems. The recognition coincides with World Tourism Day on Sept. 27, as the global tourism sector focuses on how destinations can expand responsibly while safeguarding the natural and cultural assets that define them. More than half of AlUla’s approximately 22,561-square-kilometer area has been designated as protected nature reserves. More than 500,000 native trees have been planted and over 1,500 animals released into the wild as part of conservation and ecological restoration efforts. Judges at the ICRT Responsible Tourism Awards highlighted AlUla’s collaboration with international scientists and conservation organizations, as well as its approach of placing nature and wildlife at the center of destination planning. The awards recognize organizations using tourism to generate positive outcomes for communities, destinations and the environment. AlUla’s regenerative tourism approach is designed to ensure that development contributes to restoring natural ecosystems and preserving cultural heritage while creating long-term value for local landscapes, wildlife and communities. Development is guided by the AlUla Sustainability Charter, which places environmental stewardship at the center of the destination’s transformation. AlUla is home to more than 500 recorded plant species, with ecological restoration programs focused on strengthening native flora, restoring habitats and improving the resilience of its desert and oasis ecosystems. In Sharaan National Park, restoration efforts have covered 74,000 hectares, supporting the recovery of natural habitats and biodiversity across the landscape. Environmental conservation is being pursued alongside the protection of AlUla’s cultural heritage. The destination is home to Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its preserved Nabataean tombs, as well as ancient oases and other archaeological and cultural sites.