Where on earth does one of the most well-travelled people consider a slice of paradise? Soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo says it’s Saudi Arabia’s latest tourism project, the Red Sea.
Although six years from completion, Ronaldo and his family were invited to explore the world-class development in its early stages and unsurprisingly, the star returned with raving reviews of the £15billion project.
In a video uploaded Youtube page, Ronaldo shared clips from his recent family holiday, capturing the serenity of the remote Saudi destination, its connection to nature and the unmatched beauty in its varied landscapes.
The soccer star accompanied the tempting vision with a call to action, encouraging his 45.6 million subscribers to visit the Red Sea.
“If there’s one romantic place, a place to bring my whole family, I will say that’s some place… we enjoy so much. Red Sea,” he said. “And I recommend for all the world to visit that amazing, amazing place.”
He added: “Red Sea, make it happen.”
Ronaldo’s relationship with Saudi Arabia commenced late 2022, when he signed a €200 million per year contract (the highest soccer salary ever) to play for Saudi club Al-Nassr. The announcement was followed with a 25,000-person strong celebration during his first game and a string of collaborative marketing efforts to strengthen the Kingdom’s image amongst western audiences.
Ronaldo and the Kingdom’s latest marketing venture should come with a pay rise for Saudi’s entire tourism team because the video has generated almost 11 million views in less than a week. And that figure is rapidly climbing.
During his visit to the Red Sea, Ronaldo stayed at the St Regis Red Sea Resort which is one of three properties to have opened in the early stages of development. The others are Six Senses Southern Dunes and Nujuma, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve.
Once the Red Sea is completed in 2030, tourists will have access to up to 8,000 rooms within 50 hotels across 22 islands and six inland sites. The development will host a maximum of one million visitors per year.
