Saudi Tourism Authority to heavily invest in marketing and branding campaigns for India. Plans to rope in Bollywood, Football, Cricket Icons to draw Indian visitors to Saudi Arabia.

The government plans to spend $1 trillion over the next decade to turn Saudi Arabia into a mass-market tourist destination, part of efforts to diversify its oil-dependent economy. A nascent cruise sector, luxury Red Sea resorts and eco-lodges in the desert are all in the works.

MUMBAI, 13th SEPTEMBER, 2022 (GPN): Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, colloquially known as MBS, is a Saudi Arabian politician who is also the deputy prime minister, and minister of defense of Saudi Arabia. An official meeting was arranged with Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to deliver a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveying greetings on the upcoming National Day of Saudi Arabia on September 23 and reiterating invitation to the Crown Prince to visit India at an early date.They discussed over further development of bilateral relations and explored efforts taken to address the latest regional and international developments between both countries said a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

Saudi Arabia is the second biggest tourist destination in the Middle East with over 16 million visitors footfalls in 2018.On 27 September 2019, Saudi Arabia formally announced the issuance of the tourist visa to visitors from 49 countries for a fee of $80. The visa can be either obtained online (eVisa) or on arrival.Since Saudi Arabia had lifted its Covid-travel restrictions earlier in March, the visits of tourists mixes have increased threefold compared to other Middle East destinations to discover its sprawling capital, six far-flung Unesco World Heritage sites and traditional Arab hospitality.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia holds 200,000 years of largely unexplored human history. With its dramatic rock formations, sandstone outcrops, and ancient monuments, the destination has been a big draw for the high-spending Indian luxury traveller. From stargazing, ziplining, and Red Sea diving to helicopter rides and desert drives, Saudi Arabia offers a memorable experience that’s truly world-class.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has set an ambitious target to attract 100 million visitors annually by 2030. “A big chunk of that will be from India. We are really counting on the Indian market,” says Alhasan Ali Aldabbagh, Chief Markets Officer, Asia Pacific, Saudi Tourism Authority.

He further added, “We are investing a lot in above the line ad campaigns. As part of our global marketing strategy, India is one of the key markets that we are activating. Very recently, we signed up Messi as our Saudi brand ambassador. Now, we intend to work closely with Bollywood. We are also planning to host some friendly cricket matches in Saudi Arabia because we know these are important to our Indian visitors,”

STA is heavily investing in marketing and branding campaigns. Argentinian soccer legend Lionel Messi was recently chosen as STA’s brand ambassador. As part of its India-centric campaign, STA is planning to rope in Bollywood A-listers to promote the destination.

In an effort to make Saudi Arabia one of the most preferred destinations for Indian weddings, STA is facilitating destination wedding venues as per Indian requisites.The government is investing $4 billion to encourage hospitality and hotels chain.Top Hotel chain Radisson Hospitality Inc., which has 26 properties in Saudi Arabia, now plans to open 20 more within the next three years and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. wants to add 75 over a decade to its existing 16. Armani Hotels & Resorts is all set to make a stylish entrance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the brand’s signature hotel in Diriyah. By 2030, the destination will feature the Red Sea Project one-of-a-kind resorts, residences, marinas and entertainment amenities, spread across 22 islands in the pristine archipelago.Connecting the stunning Red Sea Project with the rest of the world is the equally futuristic-looking international airport. Sooner Saudi Arabia will takeover as the commercial hub of UAE with the ongoing Saudi Arabia’s broader strategy to reduce the country’s dependence on oil and fortify its tourism sector by 2035.

“Weddings are a big part of our Indian strategy. We know that Indians like to travel for weddings in big groups of two hundred to three hundred. We are using this demand to our advantage and creating a few venues in Saudi that would be perfect for weddings,” he says.

On working with the travel trade, Ali Aldabbagh says that Saudi is creating a healthy network that will enable Indian travel businesses to partner with stakeholders in Saudi Arabia to drive and develop tourism business.

“We are doing all the normal stuff and beyond. We are working closely with all of travel trade, be it tour operators or travel agents, destination management companies or hotels to really help create the right business plans for Saudi Arabia. We are working closely with several trade partners in India to create the right incentives for them. We are also helping them create the right packages for Saudi Arabia. We are enabling interactions with local stakeholders in Saudi Arabia like putting them in touch with the suppliers, hotels and DMCs. So yes, we are investing a lot in trade,” he says.

STA recently signed 17 MoUs with strategic partners.

“We will be investing a lot in the marketing, and we have high ambitions for India. Our goal for India is to take 20% of the total outbound market coming to Saudi Arabia. We think that we have the right formula for this. We have amazing offerings for Indian visitors who are looking for culture and heritage. We also have great destinations for those keen on exploring ancient historical sites which weave rich stories. We have destinations that are ideal for sports and adventure as well,” he says.

With more luxury hotel openings in Saudi Arabia, travel curators can also craft exclusive packages for upscale Indian travellers.

“We have a vast number of offerings that are well suited for the luxury traveller. We have AlUla that provides exclusive experience. We have unique hotels that are operational today, such as the Habitas. By October, we will have properties like the Banyan Tree and Aman. Also in the pipeline are properties like St Regis and Rosewood. We also have the cruise line that is catering to the luxury market,” says Ali Aldabbagh.

There are currently 11 seasons that attracts tourists in Saudi Arabia as follows,:

Riyadh season.
Jeddah season.
Eastern province season.
Taif season.
Al Soudah season.
National Day season.
Al-Diriyah season.
Al-Ula season.
Hail season.
Ramadan season.
Eid Al-Fitr season

Jenadriyah: It is an annual cultural and heritage festival held in Jenadriyah near Riyadh. The festival hosts various cultural and heritage events such as Al Janadriya Operetta, Saudi Ardah, and Camel racing.

Souk Okaz: It is an annual cultural event held in Ta’if. it was known as an open market in the ancient past. Nowadays, Souk Okaz combines more than 150 attractions of heritage and cultural events, theatre performances, and arts and crafts.

Historic Jeddah Festival : is a celebration that takes place in the historical Al Balad district of Jeddah. The festival exhibits the culture and heritage of Jeddah.[25]
“Winter at Tantora” festival : an annual festival held in the old town of AlUla, in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Ha’il International Rally :

Al Qassim Date Festival : is the largest date festival in the world held in the central Qassim region of Saudi Arabia.
King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival [26] is an international festival organized by the Saudi Falcons Club and witnesses the participation of a group of falcon owners in the Kingdom and the Gulf Co-op. Council.

Riyadh Season: is a six-month long entertainment festival that includes a wide range of entertainment events from international concerts, sport events, Michelin star restaurants and family-oriented activities such as Winter Wonderland.

“India is one of our top source markets. And we are looking forward to forming a close working relationship with the trade as well the consumers in India in order to raise awareness about Saudi Arabia and the different offerings from our country,” said Alhasan Aldabbagh, Chief Markets Officer – APAC, Saudi Tourism Authority, in OTM Mumbai 2022 – Booster Edition of the leading travel trade show in Asia-Pacific – being organised on 13th, 14th & 15th September 2022, at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.

The authority is also in the process of launching the visas for leisure with a suitable partner and is actively promoting tourism partnerships between the two countries. Specific packages are being rolled out to promote leisure tourism – some to be combined with the existing religious packages for people going for Umrah to Makkah and Madinah.

“We have great offerings for people looking for cultural experiences, as well as for those looking at adventure and sports. In the near future, we plan to introduce a good mix of products that add to the existing Sun and beach attractions,” he said.

Themed as Umrah Plus, Saudi is now inviting visitors to extend their stay and experience different parts of the country. These destinations include AlUla, Jeddah, and Riyadh, among others. “We have something called the Riyadh season, which is one of the largest festivals in the world and attracts great footfall. A lot of concerts and cultural events are held during this time in different parts of the city,” he shared.

The country recently unlocked some more UNESCO world heritage sites, adding to its existing tourist attractions. “We have six UNESCO world heritage sites and over 10,000 archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia,” said Aldabbagh, “Some of these sites just have recently been unlocked, so the visitors can come and learn about the rich history that we have inside each of these sites,” he shared.Ends