Last couple of years Saudi Tourism has laid down solid foundations in India through its destination marketing efforts, establishing vast network of cooperation with the Indian travel trade, leading travel and tourism associations and OTAs. Speaking at the recently concluded SATTE 2023, Alhasan Ali Aldabbagh, President of APAC at the Saudi Tourism Authority, had pointed that India is a strategic market for Saudi Tourism. Last year, in 2022, Saudi welcomed one million visitors from India. Indians were also the highest spenders in Saudi Arabia of all the source markets globally due to their longer length-of-stay in the desert country. And Saudi Tourism Authority has drawn up an ambitious plan for the Indian market.
“Going forward we are very ambitious about India. For this year our target for India is two million visitors. We are doubling our visitor number from India this year. Looking forward, by 2030, our aim is to get over 12 million visitors from India. This will make India the number one source market for Saudi Arabia. We are India ready and are continuously investing in projects,” Aldabbagh said while highlighting India’s strategic importance as a tourism source market for Saudi Arabia.
As part of its Saudi Vision 2030, the country is constantly investing in new infrastructure and tourism development projects in Saudi Arabia. Last December, Saudin opened Bujairi district in Diriyah. It is very vibrant place that overlooks The At-Turaif, the birthplace of Saudi Arabia, and also one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. It has over 20 brands, retails and restaurants including four Michelin-star restaurants.
“Also very soon this year we are also opening 16 Signature hotels in Saudi Arabia. This includes Fairmont, St. Regis, Six Senses, Ritz Carlton and many other hotels. Also a lot of development is happening to make us more ready for India. I am very excited to share the news that only few days ago we launched stop-over programme in Saudi Arabia. So any Indian traveller who comes to Saudi Arabia will get free 96 hours Saudi Visa. This includes all travel purposes: leisure, Umrah, business, even visiting friends and families if they book through Saudi Airlines or flynas airline,” Aldabbagh further added.
In last two months Saudi has opened six offices for visa in India through SBTS and VFS Global and by the end of February (2023), Aldabbagh informed Saudi will open nine additional dedicated visa offices in India.
“We are constantly creating new packages and experiences for Indian travellers so that we meet all different needs of Indian travellers. So for those who are seeking culture and heritage we have over 10 thousands archaeological sites and six UNESCO Word heritage sites in Saudi Arabia. This includes, for example, Al-Balad, a historical district in Jeddah. For those people who are seeking nature and adventure, they can dive in beautiful Red sea or hike in pristine green mountains of Sarawat Asir in south of South Arabia. Also in Saudi, every month we have different events and exhibitions, most knowingly Riyadh season in winter and Jeddah season in summer. This has a lot of activation of fusion of arts, culture and entertainment. In fact Saudi today is becoming the region’s leading destination hub. We are hosting marquee events like Formula 1, Formula E, fairs and festivals and also the largest tech concert in the world,” added Aldabbagh.
Also pointing at the cultural connect between the people of the two countries, Aldabbagh said, “This is my fourth time in India, and this place is starting to feel like home to me. I have been to New Delhi, I have been to Mumbai, I have been to Agra, I have been to Bangalore, Cochin, I have been to Shimla and Manali. I have gone to little towns of India and mingled there with people. I ate local foods; I even attended an Indian wedding. And honestly every time I come to India, I fall in love with this country. Indians very much like Saudis are very warm, kind and hospitable. This is aligned with our Hafawah culture. Hafawah is a term used for hospitality in Saudi Arabia, which means tourists form of the Saudi Arabian hospitality. This is something that is deeply embedded in our DNA for thousands of years.”
