Saudi tourism celebrated one of its most successful travel trade fairs in history at ITB Berlin this week, marking the kingdom’s milestone achievement of welcoming over 100 million tourists in 2023 and securing major new trade partnerships as the sector continues its remarkable growth.
The authority secured over 15 agreements this year, including significant partnerships with Trip.com Group, Flynas, and Eurowings, as well as new collaboration with Visit Bahrain, Visit Oman, and Qatar Tourism. These actions are set to boost the Saudi tourism sector, propelling it towards unprecedented sustainable growth and further cementing the kingdom’s position as a leading global tourism destination.
Minister of Tourism and STA Chairman Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khateeb lauded Saudi Arabia’s successful participation in this year’s ITB. “The 2024 Saudi pavilion showcased the bright future of tourism in our country in line with Saudi Vision 2030, along with the growth and evolution of Saudi’s tourism sector,” he said.
“Our participation in ITB has had a positive impact on enhancing Saudi’s position on the global tourism map — strengthening relationships and cooperation with key international partners and catalysing joint work to achieve global sustainability in tourism.”
STA chief executive and board member Fahd Hamidaddin said, “Saudi’s participation in ITB Berlin has been one of the most successful in our history and will help turbocharge the remarkable growth our thriving tourism sector has already seen.”
“With more than 55 partners from the tourism ecosystem attending the show, we secured over 15 new agreements that will increase our connectivity and ensure the world is aware of our dynamic and diverse destinations,” Hamidaddin said. “Saudi’s growth so far is just the start of our story, a story which will be built on for years to come.”
During ITB, STA and Trip.com Group unveiled a major partnership aimed at attracting 350,000 additional tourists to Saudi over the next year. The collaboration, STA’s largest global partnership to date, leverages Trip.com Group’s extensive network and technological expertise to promote Saudi Arabia’s unique tourism offerings to a worldwide audience, according to the news release.
In a strategic move, STA joined forces with Flynas to launch a campaign aimed at boosting international visits to the Kingdom. The partnership will see a new Flynas route between Jeddah and Berlin launching 1 September, with three flights per week — aiming to significantly increase passenger capacity and enhance access to Saudi’s rich cultural and historical treasures.
In another agreement aiming to enhance air travel connections between Germany and Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Air Connectivity Program and Eurowings signed an agreement to launch two direct routes connecting Cologne and Berlin to Jeddah, with the goal of beginning operations in October.
Expanding its collaborative efforts across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), STA announced further collaboration with Visit Bahrain, Visit Oman, and Qatar Tourism that will see new promotional campaigns designed to attract new international tourists to the region. The innovative campaigns, designed to showcase the diverse cultural, historical, and natural landscapes of the GCC countries, offer international visitors a seamless experience exploring the rich heritage and modern marvels of Saudi Arabia and its neighbouring states.
The cooperation programme with Oman includes the development and implementation of a series of pioneering tourism packages. These will be smoothly designed and managed by Saudi Arabia’s official tourism identity “Visit Saudi” and “Visit Oman” platform.
The deal with Bahrain establishes a framework for combining efforts to market and promote tourism activities and programmes in both countries and will involve coordinating joint events to attract visitors, expanding specialised sectors, and collaborating with tourism agencies and regional/international tour operators to create shared tourist destinations. As part of the plan, Bahrain will pitch more frequently to host international conferences, concerts and sporting events. New leisure offerings will also aim to persuade business visitors to extend their stays.
The tourism minister and STA chairman led the Saudi delegation of more than 55 representatives. He was accompanied by Vice Minister of Tourism Princess Haifa bint Muhammad, the STA leadership, wider Saudi tourism ecosystem leaders, and key partners including destination management companies, hotels, and airlines.
Over the course of the event, more than 14,000 people interacted with the Saudi pavilion that saw a record number of Saudi partners showcasing hundreds of bookable products for partners in destinations such as Jeddah, AlUla, and the Red Sea.
To mark the milestone of welcoming more than 100 million tourists in 2023, Minister Al-Khateeb hosted a celebratory reception convening global tourism leaders on the sidelines of ITB to showcase the remarkable growth and development of Saudi’s tourism sector. The event brought together leaders from the global travel industry and distinguished guests and further highlighted the exceptional collaborative opportunities that await exploration in the heart of Arabia.
