AlUla has been awarded Gold in the Nature Positive Responsible Tourism category at the 2026 ICRT Responsible Tourism Awards, recognising its efforts to place environmental conservation and ecosystem restoration at the centre of tourism development.

The recognition comes as the global tourism industry marks World Tourism Day on September 27, with increasing attention on how destinations can expand tourism while protecting the natural and cultural assets that define them.

More than half of AlUla’s approximately 22,561-square-kilometre area is designated as protected nature reserves. The destination has also planted more than 500,000 native trees and released over 1,500 animals into the wild as part of its conservation and restoration programmes.

The ICRT Responsible Tourism Awards are recognised internationally for highlighting organisations that use tourism to generate positive environmental, social and economic impacts. Judges praised AlUla’s nature-first strategy, including its collaboration with international scientists and conservation organisations and its focus on integrating nature and wildlife into destination planning.

AlUla’s regenerative tourism model aims to ensure that tourism development contributes to restoring ecosystems while preserving the destination’s cultural heritage. The approach is guided by the AlUla Sustainability Charter, which places environmental stewardship at the heart of the destination’s development.

AlUla is home to more than 500 recorded plant species, with ecological programmes focused on restoring native flora, rehabilitating habitats and strengthening the resilience of its desert and oasis ecosystems. In Sharaan National Park, conservation efforts have included the restoration of 74,000 hectares to support biodiversity and natural habitat recovery.

Environmental conservation is being pursued alongside the protection of AlUla’s cultural heritage. The destination is known for its dramatic landscapes, ancient oases and archaeological sites, including Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is renowned for its well-preserved Nabataean tombs.

Together, AlUla’s natural and cultural assets underpin its approach to responsible tourism, which seeks to balance visitor growth with long-term conservation and community value.

The Gold award highlights AlUla’s efforts to develop a high-value, low-impact tourism model based on a light-touch approach to development. Through conservation, ecological restoration and heritage protection, the destination aims to safeguard its landscapes, wildlife and cultural identity for future generations. -TradeArabia News Service