In the era of tourism, mountain sports and self-transcendence, Reunion benefits from a real “mountain in the sea” which dominates, from its height of 3000 meters, its cousins in the Indian Ocean. The 10th anniversary of the inscription of its “peaks, circuses and ramparts” as a UNESCO World Heritage Site coincides with Saudi Arabia’s participation in T20, the G20 for tourism, which brought together in Paris discussions and ideas for transformations to position new destinations at the forefront of the tourism scene.
Ten years later, the Saudi NEOM project saw the light of day, now with increased investment in the strategic refocusing in favor of the environment and sustainability. If the Riviera example of Sophia Antipolis is known abroad, in reference to the association of wisdom in Greek: Sophia and Antipolis: notion of rural creativity outside the city; other inventive initiatives deserve to be valued by Saudi decision-makers wishing to know the potential of Reunion.
The latest Saudi project devoted to tourism bears the mysterious name of Trojena. We do not know if this name is inspired by the Reunionese Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais who launched the first Franco-British chess review: Le Palamède, in reference to this insurgent Greek hero, taken up in Arthurian legend, denouncing the long and costly made by Greece to the Trojans.
In any case, this project is representative of mountain territories on the outskirts of the States, which have landlocked populations or on the outskirts of major centers. These same spaces can be a source of tension, as the repeated crises between Yemen and Saudi Arabia have revealed.
As Saudi Arabia and Yemen Want to Believe in Mountains, Indian Ocean Proposals on Mountain Environment, Green Sustainability as well as Futuristic Innovations That Could Transform Tourism and New Technologies from NEOM, taken from association of the Greek Neo (“new”) and M of the Arabic Mostaqbal (“future”) would have their place within the framework of the futuristic project Trojena.
Combining natural and developed landscapes, Trojena will offer unique human experiences to its residents and visitors alike. Trojena will house six distinct development districts emphasizing bespoke experiences that combine architectural innovations with real and virtual Small Smart City experiences. All to create an altitude destination unrivaled on earth.
Located 50 kilometers from the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, in the heart of a natural mountainous region, Trojena is part of NEOM’s ambitious investment program deployed at altitudes ranging from 1,500 to 2,600 meters and covering a area of almost 60 square kilometers.
Taking advantage of the climatic peculiarities of the region, where winter temperatures drop below zero degrees celsius and temperatures throughout the year are generally 10 degrees cooler than in the rest of the region, with its clean air and its breathtaking views, Trojena will not only be a fascinating place to visit, but also a place to live and innovate.
During the plenary assembly of the Réunion Region on December 15, elected officials voted for the creation of the Réunion Innovation Agency.
A true “mountain in the sea”, can Reunion become an incubator-springboard that explores ways of technological and tourist NEOMization of mountainous areas?
Dominated by two volcanic peaks, Reunion’s “mountain in the sea” features a great diversity of escarpments, gorges and wooded basins which together create a spectacular landscape. It serves as a natural habitat for a wide variety of plants with a degree
of high endemism. There are subtropical rainforests, cloud forests and heathlands, all forming a mosaic of remarkable ecosystems and landscape features.
From the tropical heat of the Lowlands to the coolness of the Highlands, from the shades of green of the “coloured wood forests” of the East to the yellow of the savannahs of the West, from the luxuriance of the humid forests to the aridity of the lava, from the softness of the outer slopes of the island to the chaos of its three inner circuses, the variety of landscapes and luminous atmospheres make up the daily life of Reunionese.
Kevin Lognone
What “NEOMization” of the knowledge of the populations of the mountains of the world?