MUMBAI, 2nd FEBRUARY, 2023 (GPN): Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has announced an exciting line-up of trade engagements, including roadshows in major Indian cities and participation in prominent trade events to increase awareness about Saudi as a unique tourism destination.

Saudi Arabia is gearing up to take part in Outbound Travel Market (OTM) from February 2-4 at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. This will be followed by two roadshows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad on February 6 and 7, respectively.

The kingdom will also mark its presence at the 30th edition of South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), which will be held from February 9-11 at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR.

“India is a key source market for Saudi and over the past 18 months, we have both established and deepened relationships with key trade partners, to inspire them about the breadth and depth of the country’s offering and to reinforce our commitment to helping them grow their businesses,” said Alhasan Aldabbagh, President – APAC, Saudi Tourism Authority.

“The Saudi destination offering is unparalleled. Authentic Arabian culture, rich heritage, unique landscapes and a rapidly expanding entertainment and lifestyle scene is at the heart of what Saudi offers the Indian traveler and our role is to support our partners, to showcase the new, undiscovered experiences and unlock the wealth of opportunity the destination presents.

“These engagements are critical in helping us achieve our ambitious goals, to drive volume and growth,” Aldabbagh added.

The roadshow and trade events will provide a platform to travel trade professionals to engage directly with Saudi representatives and connect and build relationships with local suppliers in the hotels, airlines, DMC and destinations space through specialized one-to-one meetings.
As part of its efforts to increase tourism, Saudi Arabia announced this week the launch of a free stopover visa for stays of up to four days, including a free hotel night.

Travelers flying on the national air carriers Saudia or Flynas will be able to remain in the country for up to 96 hours, or four days, with a complimentary digital visa that the tourism board says can be obtained in less than three minutes through an integration with the airlines’ booking platforms.

The new stopover visa is “a significant milestone,” according to Saudia CEO Captain Ibrahim Koshy. “We are confident it will positively impact the growing number of transit passengers while enhancing our position as a hub that connects East and West,” he said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia had confirmed to host football’s 2027 Asian Cup on Wednesday, an expected prelude for a World Cup bid as the oil-rich kingdom spends big on sports in an attempt to improve its image.

The three-time winners’ successful bid, a formality after their sole rivals India withdrew, was rubber-stamped at the Asian Football Confederation Congress in Bahrain, held just weeks after Gulf neighbours Qatar hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East.

“We are excited to deliver the greatest tournament in the competition’s history,” the kingdom’s sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said after the announcement.

“The kingdom is transforming before our eyes and we are filled with excitement for what it will look like in 2027.”
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, has held talks with Egypt and Greece about a joint World Cup bid for 2030, officials said last year.

The conservative country has thrown hundreds of millions of dollars at deals including Al Nassr’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Formula One in Jeddah and the lucrative LIV tour that has divided golf.

The Gulf monarchy is often accused of “sportswashing” – using sport to shield criticism of its human rights record. On Wednesday, a report by Reprieve and the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights said executions had soared under the current leadership.

Speaking to GPN at the AFC Congress, Prince Abdulaziz stressed that there was no World Cup bid on the table, but added: “Everything is possible.”

“As you can see, hosting events in Saudi Arabia is big. And it’s part of our 2030 vision,” he said, referring to the Vision 2030 development project to modernise the oil-dependent economy.

“Anything that will come our way that we see feasible for the vision and the strategy that we have we’ll definitely try to pursue.”

He added: “Now we are focusing on 2027 because we still have to build infrastructure and so on to meet the requirements of the Asian Cup. And hopefully after that we’ll see what comes up.”

The Asian Cup adds to Saudi Arabia’s growing portfolio of major events including the 2034 Asian Games and even the 2029 Asian Winter Games on artificial snow. Saudi is also bidding to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup.

“I’m sure Saudi Arabia will host a fantastic Asian Cup,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said at the Manama congress.

No dates were announced for the 2023 edition of the Asian Cup, which will be hosted by reigning champions Qatar after China withdrew because of the Covid crisis.

But AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who was elected unopposed to a fresh four-year term, told reporters it seemed likely to happen in January 2024.