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  • AlUla launches its first global tourism campaign

    The 2.5-minute film, directed by Bruno Aveillan, brings a cinematic dimension to the destination, highlighting its key attractions such as history, culture, nature and adventure. To complement this, a series of short videos presents AlUla's emblematic sites and the unique experiences it offers. At the same time, AlUla is embarking on a digital transformation with the creation of a new website, a mobile application and a redesigned social media strategy. This omnichannel approach aims to deliver an optimal customer experience, both online and on-site.

  • Saudi Arabia unlocks multi-billion dollar investments as part of its wider drive to become a global tourism powerhouse

    A notable aspect of the initiative is its focus on benefiting local communities across tourism destinations. By localizing services such as contracting, design, and consulting, the program aims to create a direct positive impact on various sectors. This approach, coupled with over $800 billion invested to transform the tourism landscape, underscores Saudi Arabia's commitment to enhancing industry standards and providing lucrative opportunities for investors.

  • What’s Next For Tourism in Saudi Arabia

    In the final Skift Travel Spotlight dispatch from World Travel Market in London, Skift speaks with Niall Gibbons, NEOM's Head of Tourism, about what’s on the horizon for travel and tourism in Saudi Arabia.

  • New unified Gulf tourism visa to bolster Saudi economy

    In November 2023 the Gulf Cooperation Council approved a landmark unified tourist visa set to launch between 2024 and 2025. Similar to the Schengen scheme, the permit will enable tourists to travel across all six GCC member states: Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The new visa was announced by Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, GCC secretary-general, on Nov. 9, during the 40th meeting of the organization’s interior ministers in Muscat, Oman.

  • Saudi tourism sees 50% surge in Indian visitors as promotion intensifies

    The number of Indians traveling to Saudi Arabia has grown by 50 percent following a series of strategic initiatives in 2023, the Kingdom’s tourism authority said, as it participated in India’s main international travel show over the weekend. The 2024 edition of the South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange — Asia’s leading platform for the tourism and hospitality industry — took place in Noida in the Indian capital region on Feb. 22-24.

  • Saudi Arabia to Establish Marketing Tourism Offices

    The Saudi Tourism Authority has set 24 plans that place Saudi Arabia as a top tourist destination on the local, regional, and global levels. Last week, the Council of Ministers, headed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, approved the regulations of the Saudi Tourism Authority to play a crucial role in promoting Saudi Arabia as a top tourist destination on both regional and international levels.

  • The State of Tourism Investment in Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Arabia is investing billions into its tourism ecosystem. How can partners get involved? In this episode of the Skift Travel Spotlight podcast, executives from Riyadh Air and Dida Travel discuss investments in the nation’s travel infrastructure.

  • In Saudi Arabia, Tourism Is Being Used as a Force for Restoring Biodiversity

    Over the last few centuries, not much has changed in the village of Shuwaymis, which lies 400 miles and a dusty seven-hour drive north of Jeddah. But in 2001, a Bedouin told local teacher Mahboub Habbas al-Rasheedi that he'd found an undiscovered cache of rock art while grazing his camels. Mahboub spent the next several days searching for the site and eventually found hundreds of petroglyphs emblazoned on a honey-hued escarpment, including depictions of oryx, ostriches, leopards, cheetahs, and lions. Not only did the discovery uncover the region's largest collection of ancient rock art, dating back at least to the Bronze Age, but it added to scientists' understanding of the ecological history of the Arabian peninsula. They already knew that creatures like lions and the Arabian leopard had roamed the area before being killed off by overhunting in the last century, but they now recognized that these animals had inhabited the region as far back as 3,000 BCE.

  • Saudi Arabia’s Latest Tourism Count – What the Numbers Show

    Growing leisure tourism is a principal focus; diversifying the county from its historic religious tourism sector that benefits from hajj and umrah pilgrims. For now, the leisure tourism sector Saudi is trying to build – whether it be through new hotels, festivals, sports events and giga-projects – has mostly pulled in locals. For Saudi locals, leisure trips have significantly increased. 45% of all domestic trips by locals in the first half of 2023 were for leisure purposes, according to the ministry’s data. In 2022, it was 40% and in 2021 it was 36% of all trips. For international visitors, 20% visited the kingdom for leisure, while visiting friends and relatives made up 23% and religious tourism accounted for 45%. In 2022, 15% of travelers visited for leisure, while in 2021, it was 9%.

  • Saudi Arabia plans 250k new hotel rooms by 2030, says minister of tourism

    “The quality of the rooms and projects is very excellent and will place the Kingdom among the best in the world. The target for 2030 is approximately 550,000 hotel rooms,” the minister said, adding: “Today, we continue to reach 10 percent contribution to the gross domestic product, and we have reached 7 percent contribution to the non-oil GDP.”