Following The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY)’s program in Houston, the U.S.-Saudi Business Councill organized a series of meetings and site visits in Miami, Florida from June 28–30, 2025. The program focused on tourism promotion, city planning, and lifestyle development, with engagements designed to support the RCJY’s efforts to enhance quality of life and diversify urban experiences in Jubail and Yanbu. The U.S.-Saudi Business Council organized the Miami agenda, arranging meetings, site visits, and logistics to facilitate discussions with leaders across Miami’s design, hospitality, maritime, and recreational sectors.
Miami Design District
The U.S.-Saudi Business Council organized a site visit to the Miami Design District on the morning of June 28. The visit was hosted and guided by Thom Wheeler Castillo, an Art Educator from Dacra, the entity responsible for developing and managing the Miami Design District.
The Miami Design District is a master-planned, mixed-use neighborhood known for its integration of retail, art, architecture, dining, and cultural programming. The neighborhood includes more than 200 commercial tenants alongside public art installations, architectural landmarks, design showrooms, and multiple award-winning dining venues.
Mr. Castillo provided an overview of the District’s long-term development strategy, emphasizing planning, infrastructure, and stakeholder engagement that evolved the area from a commercial project into a destination for both residents and international visitors. The RCJY delegation approached the tour from a city-planning perspective, focusing on how the District’s physical and social design promotes pedestrian traffic, street-level interaction, and public gathering beyond traditional retail experiences.
The visit also explored how the Miami Design District leverages art and tourism to shape its identity and maintain global relevance. Mr. Castillo explained that a core strategy for keeping the District dynamic is the continuous rotation of public art. Long-term installations by artists are periodically replaced to refresh the urban landscape and maintain public interest. The District also utilizes its open-air spaces to host diverse, community-oriented events, ranging from movie nights and live music performances to rotating art installations, which help drive foot traffic while reinforcing its creative and inclusive energy.
Cultural diversity was another central theme of the discussion. The RCJY delegation learned how wall murals and other artistic expressions throughout the District reflect and celebrate Miami’s rich cultural fabric. This integration of art, urban design, and community programming positions the District as a model of how culture can drive economic vitality and social connectivity in urban spaces. While in the Design District, the RCJY delegation was also given a tour of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA Miami), whose staff provided an overview of the institution’s mission and role in elevating the cultural profile of the neighborhood and supporting year-round public engagement with the arts.
The insights shared by Dacra and ICA Miami were of particular relevance to ongoing development planning in Jubail and Yanbu, where the RCJY is seeking to integrate commercial, cultural, and lifestyle offerings into future urban projects.
Yachts and Seaplanes
As part of the RCJY’s visit to Miami, the U.S.-Saudi Business Council arranged a meeting and a tour with Royal Yachts Miami, one of the city’s premier yacht charter operators with a fleet of over 65 vessels. Miami, recognized worldwide as a hub for luxury maritime experiences, provided an ideal setting for the delegation to gain firsthand insights into successful operational and business models in the yachting industry.
The meeting was led by Captain Mitchell Montea, a seasoned yacht broker and licensed captain, who provided an insider’s perspective on the local yachting economy, including charter operations, vessel acquisition, and marina dynamics. As part of the experience, the RCJY delegation also embarked on a two-hour yacht tour featuring panoramic views of Miami’s skyline, the waterfront mansions of Star and Palm Islands, and anchorages at notable landmarks such as Monument Island and Marine Stadium.
This visit offered the delegation a firsthand look at how luxury marine facilities are managed and maintained, as well as insight into their appeal as a key driver of tourism. The experience contributed to RCJY’s broader understanding of world-class waterfront development and its potential relevance to the Kingdom’s tourism and lifestyle ambitions.
The U.S.-Saudi Business Council organized an exclusive visit to Miami Seaplane Tours, a leading aerial tour operator in South Florida known for its scenic flights and chartered experiences. The delegation was welcomed by Captain Tony Anderson, the company’s CEO & Founder, who personally led a private landplane tour over the stunning Miami skyline. During the tour, Captain Anderson provided in-depth insights into the company’s operations, its role in the region’s tourism and aviation sectors, and the unique logistics behind offering both water and land-based flight experiences.
In addition to the aerial tour, the Council arranged a skydiving experience for H.E. Alsalem and senior members of the Saudi delegation.
These visits were part of RCJY’s broader effort to explore innovative tourism models that can be adapted to the cities under its development. By learning from Miami’s well-established tourism ecosystem, the delegation aimed to gather insights on how to create similar high-impact experiences in Saudi Arabia, positioning RCJY cities as vibrant destinations for both local and international tourists and contributing to the growth of the Kingdom’s tourism and recreational aviation industries.
The Miami Biltmore Hotel and Jim McLean Golf School
The U.S.-Saudi Business Council organized a site visit and facilitated high-level meetings at the Miami Biltmore Hotel and the Jim McLean Golf School to explore strategic opportunities in golf development, hospitality integration, and international training models. The meetings took place at the Biltmore’s renowned hotel and conference facilities and were hosted by Tom Prescott, President and Owner of Seaway Corp. (parent company of the Biltmore); Jim McLean, founder and owner of McLean Golf Schools; and Matthias Kammerer, Managing Director of the Biltmore Hotel. Tom Prescott provided an overview of the Biltmore Hotel’s history and shared details about its extensive renovations and long-term positioning as a multi-use resort destination. He discussed the hotel’s diversified business model, which includes conference and event hosting, culinary and spa services, leisure and resort accommodations, golf programming, and the organization of professional tournaments. Mr. Prescott also emphasized the role of integrated guest services in supporting business sustainability and attracting a broad customer base.
Jim McLean spoke about the founding and growth of the Jim McLean Golf School, recognized as the top golf school in the world, and how he expanded the concept internationally through a franchise-based model. Jim McLean and his senior instructors described the process of golf course design and development, including partnerships with landscaping experts and facility planners. They also discussed the operational and hospitality logistics required to maintain the course, support instruction, and manage guest experience.
The RCJY delegation’s visit was part of a broader effort to learn about the golf industry’s specific role in tourism and sports development and how golf can be integrated into hospitality operations and leveraged to attract regional and international visitors. The conversation also included insights into how the golf school attracts students and visitors, manages membership and event programming, and integrates course operations with the broader hospitality functions of the Biltmore Hotel. RCJY officials and their hosts exchanged views on how elements of Miami’s golf-hospitality model could be adapted for emerging destinations, with reference to the unique climate, visitor demographics, and development goals of Jubail, Yanbu, and other destinations in Saudi Arabia.
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau
The U.S.-Saudi Business Council organized a high-level meeting with the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) at its headquarters in Miami, Florida. The meeting was hosted by David Whitaker, President and CEO of the GMCVB, and included representatives from regional tourism and event-planning organizations. The visit focused on Miami’s approach to tourism promotion, economic development, and city infrastructure planning.
The GMCVB provided an overview of Miami’s position as a leading destination for domestic and international tourism, emphasizing the sector’s importance as a driver of long-term economic growth in South Florida while showcasing the city’s cultural vibrancy and capacity for hosting large-scale events. The RCJY and GMCVB discussed Miami’s strategic role as a global cruise ship hub and a regional air cargo center, and how those assets integrate into the city’s broader tourism and logistics ecosystem.
Public-private partnerships were also a core topic, with participants discussing how Miami’s tourism and business community collaborate with government entities to shape policies, guide infrastructure investment, and attract commercial development. The conversation extended to tourism sustainability, including initiatives in ecotourism, environmentally responsible development, and inclusive urban planning that improves accessibility for visitors and residents alike.
The meeting also addressed Miami’s expanding role in international sports, including its designation as a host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the broader significance of global sporting events in tourism promotion. Alina Hudak, President and CEO of the FIFA World Cup 26 Miami Host Committee, briefed the RCJY on the nonprofit’s role in planning and promoting the event, including fundraising, public safety, transportation logistics, and media coordination. The discussion also covered Saudi Arabia’s upcoming role as host of a future FIFA World Cup.
Finally, the GMCVB provided an overview of the zoning, planning, regulatory, and development processes required to manage large-scale urban growth and to host major international events, with insights into how city agencies, developers, and regional authorities coordinate city-building strategies.
PortMiami
The U.S.-Saudi Business Council organized a meeting and visit to PortMiami for a series of technical and strategic discussions on port operations, trade logistics, and cruise sector development. The meeting was hosted onsite by Heidi Webb, Director, and senior PortMiami staff.
The visit centered on understanding Miami’s dual role as both a major cargo gateway and the world’s leading cruise port. Discussion included port ownership structures, regulatory frameworks, and operational logistics across both sectors as well as the economic impact of maritime trade and the movement of goods through the region. Officials also reviewed how PortMiami manages and improves intermodal transportation systems, including strategies to streamline cargo and passenger movement between sea, air, rail, and road. PortMiami representatives described how these connections help reduce processing and travel time for goods and travelers, improving overall system efficiency.
The RCJY delegation was also briefed on Miami’s cruise industry, including its infrastructure, growth trajectory, and global leadership position. PortMiami officials outlined the port’s economic reliance on the cruise sector and explained the logistical demands of managing both passenger and vessel operations. Topics included embarkation and disembarkation procedures, provisioning, baggage handling, terminal traffic management, and coordination with local transit and public safety authorities. Safety and security across cruise terminals and cargo zones were also key areas of discussion.
The meeting also covered PortMiami’s long-term expansion plans, including infrastructure investments to meet rising global demand. Officials described initiatives to develop inland ports and logistics zones, with a focus on improving throughput, streamlining operations, and enhancing service capacity.
As part of the discussion, PortMiami shared the best practices and outlined general terms of stakeholder agreements that support the port’s operations. These insights served as a basis for collaborative exchange, with both sides exploring how Miami’s operational experience and infrastructure planning could help inform future port and logistics development in Jubail and Yanbu.
Through these engagements, the RCJY’s leadership gained valuable insights into urban development models that integrate tourism, culture, and quality of life, contributing to its broader vision for creating dynamic, livable cities in Saudi Arabia.
