Royal Commission for AlUla partners with French School of Culinary Arts

RCU partners with Ferrandi Paris to open culinary arts, tourism, and hospitality training campus in AlUla. (Supplied)
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Updated 06 December 2024
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Royal Commission for AlUla partners with French School of Culinary Arts

  • Ferrandi Paris Campus AlUla to provide high-quality programs to equip Saudis with skills to enter expanding jobs market
  • Inaugural intake of 100 students will enroll in culinary arts, hospitality, tourism courses that follow the Ferrandi Paris syllabus

ALULA: A pioneering new vocational training college will provide the AlUla community with the skills they need to forge new careers in Saudi Arabia’s rapidly developing jobs ecosystem.

Announced during the 8th Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, the upcoming Ferrandi Paris Campus AlUla is the result of an expansive, multi-year partnership between the Royal Commission for AlUla and the historic French School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, Ferrandi Paris.

The college will provide extensive training in exciting fields to serve AlUla’s growth as a global destination for tourism, investment, and discovery.

The college is set to welcome its first intake of 100 students in 2025, according to a statement by the RCU.

The Ferrandi Paris Campus AlUla will offer diplomas in culinary arts, hospitality and tourism — specialist subjects that will cater to RCU’s comprehensive regeneration goals and equip residents with key skills.

Programs include a preparatory year, followed by two years focused on specialization.

This initiative reflects RCU’s broader commitment to investing in education at all levels, upskilling Saudi men and women in sectors including tourism, film, archaeology, and hospitality.

Culinary arts students can expect to learn the traditions, processes, and techniques of preparing and serving classic French cuisine and pastry.

Hospitality and tourism classes will cover the full range of roles and services required to meet the needs of growing numbers of visitors to AlUla and destinations around Saudi Arabia.

Ferrandi Paris Campus AlUla is aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and RCU’s successful community upskilling projects such as the Hammayah Program, which has engaged thousands of people from AlUla in cultural, heritage, and tourism initiatives.

Meanwhile, initiatives like the AlUla Scholarship Programme continue to enroll Saudi students at leading international universities.

Establishing the new Ferrandi Paris Campus AlUla supports the deep-rooted relationship between Saudi and French entities, supported by the mission to drive the development of AlUla as an international hub for knowledge exchange.

Ferrandi Paris boasts more than a century of experience providing the highest levels of training to hospitality professionals, which means the new Ferrandi Paris Campus AlUla will be a dynamic addition to AlUla’s education ecosystem and RCU’s network of global partners.


Saudi wildlife center records rare sighting of critically endangered leatherback turtle in Red Sea

Updated 05 February 2026
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Saudi wildlife center records rare sighting of critically endangered leatherback turtle in Red Sea

  • NCW says the leatherback traveled thousands of kilometers to reach the Red Sea
  • The closest known nesting grounds are located in India’s Andaman Islands, some 6,500 km distant

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's National Center for Wildlife (NCW) has documented a rare sighting of a leatherback sea turtle in the Red Sea, marking a significant biological record for one of the planet's most critically endangered marine species.

The sighting occurred approximately 30 kilometers off the coast of Al-Qunfudhah within the Blue Holes Protected Area, a newly established marine reserve, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The NCW confirmed that the presence of a leatherback in these waters is an exceptional event. Recognized as the largest turtle species on Earth, the leatherback can weigh up to 900 kilograms. It is easily identified by its unique leathery, black carapace—distinguished by five longitudinal ridges rather than a hard bony shell—and its ability to dive to depths exceeding 1,000 meters.

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Noting the species' migratory nature, the center explained that leatherbacks travel thousands of kilometers foraging for jellyfish. The specimen likely navigated through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in search of food. 

This is considered a remarkable journey, the NCW said, noting that the nearest known populations reside in the Indian Ocean, spanning waters from South Africa to Sri Lanka (roughly 7,000 to 8,000 kilometers away). The closest known nesting grounds are located in India’s Andaman Islands, approximately 6,500 kilometers distant. No nesting activity has been recorded in the Red Sea.

According to the IUCN Red List, the leatherback is Critically Endangered in the Indian Ocean. While data for the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf is scarce, recent isolated sightings include a juvenile recorded in Jordan in December 2025 and another off Djibouti in 2019.

The NCW emphasized that these rare appearances highlight the ecological importance of the Kingdom's marine conservation efforts in the Red Sea. The center pointed to the Farasan Islands Marine Protected Area, along with the new Blue Holes and Ras Hatiba reserves, as critical sanctuaries that could support the potential expansion of such endangered species' ranges.