Saudi Arabia Showcases Its Tourism Potential at Arabian Travel Market 2023

(MENAFN) Saudi Arabia is once again setting the pace at the 30th edition of Arabian Travel Market, affirming its position as a leading tourism destination in the region. As the country continues to transform at an unprecedented speed and scale, Saudi Arabia has showcased its strength, depth, and breadth of its destination offerings to inspire trade partners. With the largest and most impressive presence at an international trade event to date, the country is presenting over 500 bookable experiences and 67 partners on its stand.

The Saudi Arabian stand delivers exceptional cultural activations from around the country, bringing to life its rich culture, heritage, unique flavors and sounds, and dynamic entertainment offerings as one of the world’s last frontiers of tourism. The stand offers an interactive exploration of its top destinations and resorts, from the stunning coastline of the Red Sea and the Great Arabian Dunes to the ancient landmarks of AlUla and Diriyah. Visitors can experience Makkah and Madinah through virtual reality and the history of Saudi through Diriyah’s five-senses activation. Traditional dance performances from around the country will also resonate with the very best of Saudi culture.

The strength of the Saudi Arabian presence reflects the unrivaled scale of the transformation in the country as the world’s fastest-growing tourism destination. The country has achieved an extraordinary 121 percent increase from pre-pandemic international tourism levels, exceeding both Umrah visit numbers and inbound in the first quarter of this year. As recognized by the UN World Tourism Organization, Saudi Arabia is outpacing the global tourism sector recovery. As the world’s biggest investor in tourism, Saudi Arabia has committed $550 billion to new destinations by 2030.

Saudi Arabia is a regional enabler, facilitating collaboration and accelerating growth across the Middle East. The opportunities in the Middle East for initiatives like Nusuk, an integrated digital platform to facilitate seamless Umrah journeys, are unmatched, transforming the experience for spiritual travelers and providing an opportunity like no other for partners. Launched in September 2022 by STA, Nusuk continues to gain momentum around the world, already hitting key milestones, and its presence will be further strengthened through its first participation at ATM 2023 with more than 20 partners.

Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Saudi Tourism Authority board member, said: “Saudi is the biggest opportunity for businesses in tourism today. Unrivalled in growth, we are on an accelerated journey to achieving our ambitious tourism vision. We continue to outpace and outperform, and our success is reflected in the numbers."

As Saudi Arabia positions itself as a diverse, unique, year-round destination, it plans to build its dynamic entertainment and events offering further. The last events season witnessed record-breaking numbers, and this summer promises to deliver an exceptional line-up of events and experiences. The country is committed to delivering a whole new experience for the adventurer, the explorer, and the intrepid traveler. The presence

MENAFN03052023000045014228ID1106164083