Saudi, the Premier Partner at World Travel Market (WTM) London, has opened the event for the second consecutive year. The country is hosting its largest pavilion at an international event and has interactive on-stand experiences to immerse and inspire visitors across every touchpoint on a journey of the country through the senses.
The incredible visuals in the pavilion help to showcase the breadth and depth of Saudi’s extraordinary destination offering, bringing the authentic home of Arabia to life. Visitors will get the opportunity to experience the unparalleled hospitality for which the country is known and sample a small part of the country’s rich culture through a celebration of the Year of Saudi Coffee at the Saudi Café.
Those coming to the large pavilion will feel the beat of the Saudi spirit through traditional and modern music and dance and be able to journey through the traditions of Saudi’s diverse regions with unique activations ranging from the flower crowns of Soudah to sadu weaving from Diriyah.
Global partners are continuing to find untapped opportunities and potential in Saudi and are continuously joining the country on its incredible journey to become the world’s most exciting leisure tourism destination.
At WTM, Saudi is welcoming more than 40 destination partners, who will be highlighting the wide range of Saudi tourism products, creating access to experiences, packages, hotels, and cruises for trade partners.
On the stage, senior leaders from the Saudi delegation will be taking part in high-profile discussions focused on the future of travel, sustainability and innovation through technology in a global context.
Fahd Hamidaddin, the CEO and a Member of the Board of Saudi Tourism Authority, said, “In Saudi, we dream big, and we deliver bigger, and today, we are creating the newest and most exciting destination on Earth for tomorrow. This year’s WTM is our biggest presence at an international event to date, bringing the best of our dynamic tourism offering to showcase the hospitality, diversity, beauty, and energy of the authentic home of Arabia.”
“The UK is one of our most important source markets, with more than 150,000 visits this year. We are inspiring, empowering and enabling future partners to add Saudi to their portfolios, and our partners continue to realize our value and untapped potential.”
Since last year’s event, Saudi has emerged as the fastest-growing tourism destination in the G20 and is one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism markets. Saudi’s exponential sector growth has seen an extraordinary +121% increase from pre-pandemic international tourism levels, as recognized by the UNWTO, outpacing global tourism sector recovery.
Saudi’s $800bn USD investment commitment across the tourism sector is driving outcomes and progress. Saudi is the world’s biggest investor in tourism, innovating to create new products and destinations and building demand with the expansion of its global trade network. By developing strategic, long-term relationships with key partners across all business segments, Saudi is driving awareness of the world’s most exciting destination and unlocking priority source markets.
“We’ve invested in the fundamentals for a new future of tourism, and our success story through the numbers tells itself. We are innovating to create new products and destinations, and with our partners, we are building demand and expanding our global trade network,” continued Hamidaddin.
As part of ongoing efforts to engage, enable and inspire international trade partners, Saudi is launching the Saudi Expert e-learning platform at WTM. It is a tool designed to power the partner learning journey through training materials, a learning dashboard and smooth technology integration to ensure a seamless trade experience.
Saudi plans to welcome more than 100m visitors by 2030. Last year, the country welcomed 62 million visitors and is on track to welcome 70 million in 2022. In addition to the ambitious tourism goals, Saudi is planning to increase international air connectivity from 99 to 250+ destinations by 2030.
To help to achieve this, SAUDIA, the country’s national carrier, has launched six new international routes this year. Through exceptional partnerships, Saudi is creating increased travel options and competitiveness to expand consumer choice and drive down costs. With Saudi’s extension of eVisa regulations, it is now easier than ever to visit Saudi.
Saudi is, for many around the globe, a yet-to-be-discovered destination, jam-packed with rich cultural traditions. For example, in Jeddah, visitors can explore Jeddah’s historical district, Al Balad and the traditional Hijazi-style houses or go diving in one of the top diving and snorkelling destinations in the Red Sea.
In addition, there is Diriyah, the birthplace of Saudi, waiting to be explored, and no visitor should miss out on a visit to Bujairi Terrace, where they can experience luxury shopping and fine dining. This season’s winter activities include a dynamic entertainment program at MDLBeast, Red Sea Film Festival, Riyadh Season and Winter at Tantora in AlUla – a UNESCO world heritage site.
To learn more about Saudi’s participation at WTM London, follow the link here.
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