Having received a 12 per cent in visitor arrivals from Saudi Arabia, India Tourism Office and Embassy of India in Riyadh are jointly organizing an India Tourism roadshow in Saudi Arabia from May 19-22, 2013. The road shows will be in Jeddah on May 19 at Hilton Hotel, in Riyadh on May 21 at Sheraton, and in Dammam on May 22 at Sheraton.
The Indian delegation to these Road Shows is led by Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. He is accompanied by leading destination managers, tour operators, hoteliers, airlines, State Governments from India. Through these Road Shows, an effort is being made to update the Saudi Arabian tourism stakeholders with latest information on Indian tourism policy, destinations and products.
The Middle East, and particularly the KSA, is one of the main source markets for inbound tourism in India. During 2011, around 26,000 Saudi nationals visited India registering, a growth of over 12% over the previous year.
India had conducted three Road Shows in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in January 2012 which received overwhelming response from the local tourism and travel industry members, and resulted in enhanced cooperation in tourism sector between the two countries.
Recently, Government of India has lifted the restriction of two-month gap for entry of foreign nationals, including those from Saudi Arabia, between the two visits on tourist visa. This decision has facilitated travel of international tourists to India.