AlUla strengthens position as premier eco-tourism destination with new Arabian Leopard Rewilding Centre

• The 2025 edition of International Day of the Arabian Leopard celebrated each year on 10th February, sees the launch of the ‘Leaps of Hope’ campaign across the globe

AlUla, Saudi Arabia – AlUla is marking International Arabian Leopard Day 2025 with a landmark announcement: the establishment of the first wildlife breeding centre in the Sharaan National Park, reinforcing AlUla’s commitment to conservation and comprehensive regeneration.

Currently, all 30 Arabian leopards under human care in Saudi Arabia are housed at the Royal Commission for AlUla’s Arabian Leopard Conservation Breeding Centre in Taif. The success of the centre, where a rare litter of triplet cubs was born last year, has increased the need for a new, state-of-the-art facility in AlUla itself, a region renowned for its breath taking desert landscapes and dedicated protected nature reserves that make up over 50% of the land.

For the first time in decades, the critically endangered Arabian leopard will return to AlUla, where they once roamed freely. The new initiative enhances global conservation efforts and strengthens AlUla’s position as a world-class eco-tourism hub where premium guest experiences, rewilding, and sustainability come together.

Phillip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer of RCU, said: “Bringing the Arabian leopard back to its native home in AlUla has been a core mission and promise – one that we are proud to deliver on with the upcoming Wildlife Breeding Centre in AlUla. As we continue to welcome travellers and capture the attention of global tourists and eco-tourism enthusiasts, we are turning our vision into action, proving that sustainable, light-touch tourism can go hand in hand with environmental regeneration.”

The first phase of the new Arabian Leopard Rewilding Centre in AlUla will be established in Sharaan National Park with construction due to start within the next months. This facility will serve as the first centre of its kind in the world to focus on rewilding, as well as breeding. In addition to housing and breeding Arabian leopards, the Centre will breed key prey species essential to reintroducing the leopards to the wild in the future.

The Arabian Leopard is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with an estimated 120 remaining in the wild and none recorded in Saudi Arabia for over a decade.

Dr. Stephen Browne, Vice President, Wildlife & Natural Heritage, RCU says the leopards coming back to AlUla is a huge milestone: “We estimate that the leopard arrived in Arabia around 500,000 years ago and there are in fact ancient rock inscriptions all around AlUla that depict the leopard in its natural habitat. To see this flagship species back in AlUla, even if not in the wild just yet, is a major achievement of the project and a big step towards our most ambitious conservation goal.”

Recognising the urgent need for action, the 2025 edition of International Day of the Arabian Leopard Day, celebrated on 10th February, sees the launch of the ‘Leaps of Hope’ campaign across the globe, bringing widespread awareness to conservation efforts. A highlight of the celebration will be the unveiling of a new long-term partnership with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), solidifying AlUla’s role as a leader in wildlife protection.

To date, RCU in partnership with the Arabian Leopard Fund has spearheaded several initiatives to restore the species, including the United Nations adoption of a resolution to officially designate 10th February as an international day for Arabian Leopards in 2023, the creation of a fund to promote conservation efforts, a 10-year partnership with Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organisation, and an ongoing partnership with Catmosphere, a foundation for big cat conservation.

AlUla’s commitment to wildlife conservation is closely aligned with its transformation into a boutique heritage and eco-tourism destination. With its renowned heritage sites, world-class hospitality offerings, and expansive natural beauty, AlUla offers a unique travel experience where visitors can explore stunning landscapes while being surrounded by active sustainability efforts.

Visit experiencealula.com to learn more.

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For further information, please contact:
media@rcu.gov.sa; RCU.Destination@hkstrategies.com

About AlUla:

Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.

The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of 111 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement.

Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Roman’s conquered the Nabataeans in 106 CE.

In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages, which has been recently listed on the UNESCO’s memory of the World Register. Also AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, which has been selected as one of the World’s Best Tourism Villages in 2022 by the UNWTO.

For more information, please visit: experiencealula.com