Tag Archives: STA

flynas launched its first direct flight between Jeddah and Berlin aligning with flynas growth and expansion plan under the slogan “We connect the world to the Kingdom”, in partnership with Air Connectivity Program (ACP), with support of Saudi Tourism Authority (STA). The new Berlin-Jeddah route, launched in partnership with the Air Connectivity Program (ACP), will offer three weekly flights from King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Jeddah to Berlin International Airport (BER). An inaugural ceremony was held at King Abdulaziz International Airport in the presence of representatives from flynas, Jeddah Airports Company (JEDCO), the ACP, and Consulate General of Germany in Jeddah. On the other side, the maiden flight was welcomed Berlin Brandenburg Airport with a reception ceremony in the presence of representatives from ACP, Berlin airport. On the next day, September 5, flynas organized a ceremony on this occasion in Berlin that was attended by and stakeholders of flynas in Germany. This Expansion in the European market is in line with flynas growth and expansion plan, launched under the slogan “We connect the world to the Kingdom”, and in parallel with the National Civil Aviation Strategy to enable national air carriers to contribute to connecting KSA with 250 International destinations and to accommodate 330 million passengers and to host 100 million tourists yearly by 2030 and the objectives of the Pilgrims Experience Program (PEP) to facilitate access to the Two Holy Mosques. The CEO of Jeddah Airports, Engineer Mazen Johar, said “the launch of the first flynas flights between the German Capital “Berlin” and King Abdulaziz international airport in Jeddah supports Jeddah Airports Company’s strategy of increasing the number of destinations connected to King Abdulaziz International Airport . This …

Under the patronage of the Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), Ahmed Al Khateeb, the STA launched the country’s summer program for 2024, “Saudi Summer is Next Door.” The program will run for four months until the end of September across seven destinations and includes over 550 tourism products and more than 150 special offers and packages curated for families and children across different segments such as adventure lovers, those seeking luxury retreats, and culture and heritage enthusiasts. The Saudi Summer Program 2024 launch event was attended by World Tourism Organization Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, over 250 key strategic partners from the public and private sectors, significant media, and key opinion leaders. The summer program will take place in seven destinations: Aseer, Al Baha, Taif, the Red Sea (a new destination), Jeddah, Riyadh, and AlUla. This year, the program will also see the return of the Jeddah Season and the launch of the Aseer Season, featuring numerous family activities and events. Saudi Arabia has a lineup of major events as part of the summer program, notably the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, being held for the first time, an annual eight-week competition featuring the world’s most elite esports athletes, and multiple boxing tournaments in Riyadh and Jeddah. At the event, Al Khateeb highlighted global tourism trends, the growth seen by the Kingdom in the tourism sector, and the record-breaking numbers of incoming tourists, resulting in Saudi Arabia topping the UN World Tourism list and the G20 nations list. Al Khateeb stated, “Saudi Arabia is witnessing a transformative period in tourism, driven by our vision to position the Kingdom as a premier global …

Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) recently launched the largest integrated travel campaign in China ‘Embark on a Journey of Discovery to Saudi’ at the Shanghai Bund Waterfront with 400 trade partners. The event was attended by Jin Lei, Deputy Director General of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, Alhasan Aldabbagh, President of APAC Markets including over 400 trade partners, media and influencers, and the Chinese public were invited to explore the rich and diverse tourism offerings of Saudi. The campaign marks the largest integrated travel campaign launched by Saudi in China, starting with a week-long Saudi Tourism Exhibition, a celebration of Saudi’s culture, heritage, and natural beauty on the Shanghai Bund waterfront, from 17 to 23 November, inviting guests to experience mystical Saudi through immersive experiences, storytelling, and live performances. So far, the exhibition has welcomed over 80,000 visitors. In addition to the consumer marketing campaign, a series of Saudi experience films have launched on national TV and all major digital China platforms such as Ctrip, Huawei, Mafengwo, and Tencent, reaching and connecting with over five hundred million Chinese citizens.  The films intend to showcase the rich experiences Chinese travelers can look forward to upon visiting Saudi and is further available on VisitSaudi.CN website and STA’s social media channel. Starting from November 17, destination experience videos were launched, enabling digital travelers to visit scenes such as a traditional Bedouin tent complete with camel caravans and stargazing; tour the historic Diriyah, Al Masmak Fortress, and the colorful Souk Al Zel; learn to create Arabian fragrances; fly over AlUla in a hot-air balloon; go on a cross-country adventure in a vintage Land Rover; and snorkel in the Red Sea. Also, how-to …

Almosafer, and Klook have together launched the first ever holistic tours and activities platform for the KSA market, Almosafer activities. The launch follows the signing of an agreement between the two travel industry powerhouses in early 2022 to establish the joint venture with the purpose of creating a holistic B2B marketplace for activities in the Kingdom, addressing a gap in the market which has thus far largely seen fragmented options for bookable ‘things to do’. Almosafer Activities is a one-stop digital platform with end-to-end content and inventory management solutions that supports tourism and leisure activity merchants in Saudi Arabia, as well as distributors across the globe, to provide an unprecedented choice of product offering for travellers to, from, and within the Kingdom. The platform, which will go live for distributors in Q3 2023, will leverage Klook’s position as a leading global distributor of experiences and services and enable domestic and international tourists to book activities with ease. Almosafer Activities will provide seamless booking experiences, connecting Saudi Arabia travellers to global platforms, starting with Klook. The launch of Almosafer Activities supports the tourism agenda of Saudi Vision 2030 by boosting inbound and domestic tourism. The platform will also support small and medium-sized merchants by providing them with a platform and exposure to more distribution channels. Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board at Saudi Tourism Authority, said: “Saudi is setting the pace for global tourism development. We are currently undergoing a remarkable transformation and experiencing unprecedented growth, positioning ourselves as the world’s largest investor in tourism – this presents an exciting opportunity for both our existing and new partners. “The launch of Almosafer Activities represents another significant stride towards establishing …

Leading multi-service app in the region, Careem, has announced signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) to explore opportunities for collaboration and introduce exceptional offerings, exclusive packages, and special discounts that boost the overall tourism experience. General Manager of Individual Transportation Services at Careem in Saudi Arabia, “We are delighted to establish this valuable partnership with STA, with the goal of utilizing Careem’s advanced technologies, extensive audience, and wide customer base to offer effortless services and attractive deals that improve the general experience of visitors coming from the GCC and the Middle East,” said Ahmed Orabi, adding, “We have rolled out our first batch of offerings under the MoU targeting visitors to Saudi Arabia, featuring exclusive deals of flights from international airports in the Middle East.” “This MoU with Careem proves once again STA’s commitment to partnering with leading companies in the region and offering outstanding services and packages, as well as its aim of collaborating closely with its partners to improve the tourism experience by sharing insights and jointly working towards mutual benefits.” said Abdulkarim Aldarwish, President of Middle East & Africa Markets at STA. The MoU was announced during the 30th Arabian Travel Market, held in Dubai on May 1 to 4, 2023, signed in the Saudi Arabia pavilion’s central area by Ahmed Orabi, General Manager of Individual Transportation Services at Careem in Saudi Arabia, and Munirah Abanomy Head of marketing partnership for middle east and Africa in STA.

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has signed another partnership agreement with Almosafer, Saudi Arabia’s leading travel company (part of Seera Group) to boost inbound tourism to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its multiple business operating under the Almosafer umbrella. Under the agreement, Almosafer will promote inbound tourism to the Kingdom from the GCC through its consumer segment. Almosafer will also promote inbound tourism to its B2B customers in the Middle East and North Africa region through Mawasim, its Hajj and Umrah tour operator, and through Discover Saudi, its destination management company. The agreement was signed by Fahad Alobailan, Chief Tourism Officer at Almosafer, and Munirah Abanomy, Head of Marketing Partnerships for Middle East & Africa at the Saudi Tourism Authority, at the Saudi Pavilion at the Arabian Travel Market. Fahad Alobailan, Chief Tourism Officer at Almosafer, said: “We continue to build on our longstanding relationship with the STA, working together to achieve the goals of Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia has a plethora of incredible cultural, natural, historical and religious attractions that are drawing in an increasing number of international tourists. We have seen a significant increase in demand for inbound tourism to the Kingdom and we will continue our role in enabling this continued growth.” Commenting on this agreement, Abdulkarim Aldarwish, President of the Middle East & Africa Markets at the Saudi Tourism Authority, said: “The Saudi Tourism Authority is keen to conclude fruitful agreements and strategic partnerships with major travel companies in the Kingdom. We look forward to achieving our common strategic goals and working to empower and advance business growth for our partners in the private tourism sector in the Kingdom. Through the agreement with Almosafer, we …

flyadeal signed a strategic partnership with Saudi Tourism Authority to support tourism growth across the country. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Con Korfiatis,  flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, and Mohammed Basrawi, President of Domestic Tourism at Saudi Tourism Authority. The agreement will see both organisations develop closer cooperation to drive more visitors to the Kingdom and capitalise on a rapidly growing domestic and inbound tourist market. This will include greater presence at travel events and tourism roadshows with joint promotional and marketing activities, and visibility of the inbound Visit Saudi campaign on flyadeal’s website and social media channels — all aimed at generating more visibility of the Kingdom’s tourism industry and to achieve the strategic goal of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. With a network of 17 domestic cities and an ever-expanding international footprint, where the airline currently serves five regional countries from either Riyadh or Jeddah, flyadeal has developed a strong presence since its formation in just over five years. flyadeal’s current international presence includes Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Kuwait and Sudan.

Saudi Arabia has made a call to action for worldwide collaboration among likeminded National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) in creating a new Tourism Innovation Index (TII) to enable sustainable, competent and innovative tourism landscape across the globe. The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) is collaborating with the largest industry intelligence and news platform Skift to establish a framework for the potential index. STA brings its public sector experience and perspective and Skift its private sector tourism expertise. The call to action came during the 22nd World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Saudi Arabia, where delegates heard how the proposed TII has the potential to contribute to resilient tourism ecosystems, destinations, and experiences. In the future the TII could provide thousands of national and international organizations with data that will drive elevated sector services, inform policy reforms to boost and enable country-level innovation.  The Index will continue to grow with inputs from countries around the world sharing insights, expertise and best practices. The planned index has been structured to incorporate international best practices as well as global tourism and innovation indices. The proposed new index builds on the work that the World Economic Forum, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the World Tourism Organization are doing among others. It would be based on surveys and hard data collection, and provide a holistic smart tourism score that measures performance across three pillars – the ecosystem, the destination, and the experience. At the Summit, STA and Skift made a joint call to action for other tourism organizations around the world to help them in refining the methodology and framework required to publish the first index findings and set a powerful …

Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) will conduct a two-day roadshow curated for travel trade partners in the Middle East on 8th and 9th March 2021 from 8am to 8pm GST. The roadshow is part of STA’s ‘Journeys in Arabia’ virtual engagement series and is an opportunity for partners to meet one-on-one with senior representatives from the key destinations, experience, and hospitality brands. For the first time ever, local travel trade partners and key stakeholders are being brought together on one platform, to build relationships and stimulate conversations around potential commercial partnership opportunities. As it relates to leisure tourism, Saudi is a relatively new destination hence the focus is two-fold. While it is fundamental to drive awareness about Saudi amongst travelers around the world, also it is also critical to engage, educate and inspire travel trade partners about the diverse products and experiences that Arabia offers. Saudi Arabia aims to achieve 100 million annual visits to the Kingdom by 2030, made up of both domestic and international travelers. In order to achieve this goal, STA has developed a comprehensive strategy to drive the number of visits, increase spend and build a leading tourism brand for Saudi. Across the world, 15 priority leisure source markets have been identified spanning the GCC region, Asia, North America, and Europe. This is broken down further into three target segments, leisure, MICE, and spiritual travel. Since the opening of doors to leisure tourism in September 2019, STA has unveiled many new destinations and experiences for audiences from home and abroad. The Saudi offering is unique– its rich culture, deep heritage, diversity of landscapes and unparalleled hospitality. It is the authentic home of Arabia: a place of exploration, …

Bringing together Travel Trade Partners together for the first time, an exclusively curated webinar to explore and Discover Saudi’s exciting new tourism offerings was conducted online. The global travel industry is undergoing its most profound transformation. As the landscapes evolves, it is more important than ever to continue to inspire, engage and educate travel trade for when the world safely re-opens and travel resumes. Saudi Arabia is a relatively new destination on the global stage. As the authentic home of Arabia, Saudi offers unique, diverse and unparalleled experiences, a land of natural assets, rich culture and heritage and adventure. To bring to light the Saudi offering, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has launched ‘Journeys in Arabia’, an exclusive online event curated especially for Travel Trade Partners around the globe. The virtual engagement series, taking place across six markets around the world, is a first-of-its-kind initiative for STA, a source of inspiration and excitement, designed to inform partners about the diverse products and experiences that Arabia offers. The session provided insights into the current state of travel and the opportunities and challenges in addressing the growing demand and interest in Saudi as a new destination. Panelists discussed the huge shift in domestic travel and potential of the regional audience as an untapped segment, highlighting infrastructure, connectivity and capacity as the three fundamentals in further developing Saudi’s tourism ecosystem. Giga projects including NEOM were referenced as key in driving tourism to Saudi in the future, while investment into activities and experiences was also identified as critical components in elevating Saudi’s appeal amongst key stakeholders and potential partners.