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‘Have ambitious goal… expect India to be Saudi’s No. 1 tourist source by 2030’: APAC president Alhasan Aldabbagh

Last year, the country recorded 1.5 million indian travellers, a 50% jump over 2022, and aims to amplify this number in the coming decade..

With 275 direct flights every week between the two countries, Saudi Arabia is betting big on the Indian tourist footfall. Last year, the country recorded 1.5 million Indian travellers, a 50% jump over 2022, and aims to amplify this number in the coming decade.

Alhasan Aldabbagh, president of Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets of the Saudi Tourism Authority, who is on a visit to Delhi , tells DIVYA A his country has launched a range of initiatives for this — from establishing VFS (Visa Facilitation Services) offices in nine Indian cities to visa liberalisation and enhanced air connectivity. Edited excerpts from the interview:

How significant is India as a source market for Saudi Arabia?

India has long been an important partner for Saudi Arabia, reflecting the centuries-old economic and socio-cultural ties. We now have a very ambitious goal for India. We expect India, which is currently No. 3, to be the No. 1 inbound market for Saudi by 2030. Last year, we hosted over 1.5 million Indian travelers, making a substantial increase of 50% from 2022.

This surge is attributed to strategic initiatives, including a partnership with the Indian Premier League, enhanced air connectivity and the establishment of 10 VFS offices across India. We aim to host 7.5 million Indian visitors by 2030.

Which places in Saudi are most popular with Indian travellers?

Medina, Riyadh, Jeddah and AlUla remain the top destinations for visitors… Heritage-focused travel takes the lead as a holiday preference for Indian travellers and Saudi has been promoting its history and culture to attract tourists from around the world, including India.

Key initiatives include the restoration and preservation of heritage sites such as Al-Ula and Diriyah, and the development of cultural festivals and events that showcase Saudi’s traditions and customs.

How has Saudi Arabia facilitated ease of travel for tourists, and for Indians in particular, with respect to visas and flights?

It has never been easier to visit Saudi. Enhanced air connectivity and visa initiatives are key to opening Saudi to Indian travellers.

Indian passport holders with a UK, US or Schengen visa that has been utilised at least once are eligible for an e-visa online. The stopover visa allows Indian passengers flying with Saudia (flag carrier of Saudi Arabia) or Flynas ( private Saudi low-cost airline) to spend up to 96 hours in the country.

With 10 VFS Tasheel offices located across Indian cities, our goal is to enable a seamless travel experience to Saudi.

At a time when the Red Sea has a different connotation, what is the Red Sea tourism Saudi is talking about?

The Red Sea is known for its pristine landscape with the world’s fourth-largest barrier reef system, 90 untouched islands, mountains and mangroves — all in one place. It will soon have its very own airport, The Red Sea International Airport.

We have also taken steps to embrace eco-friendly practices by enhancing biologically diverse habitats including mangroves, seagrass, corals and land vegetation.

Another new island destination in the Red Sea is Sindalah, which will be the first physical showcase of NEOM (a new destination being created in Northwestern Saudi). It is a $500 billion giga-project being built as a zero-carbon smart city that will run on renewable energy.

What are the other major source markets for Saudi Arabia and how do they compare with India?

India remains one of Saudi’s top three inbound source markets and holds a pivotal role in realising Vision 2030. By 2030, we are also aiming to attract Chinese visitors by tailoring experiences for Chinese travellers.

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Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

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Saudi Tourism Aiming to Make India Top Source Market – India Report

Bulbul Dhawan , Skift

April 1st, 2024 at 11:00 PM EDT

Saudi Arabia witnessed a 50% increase in Indian visitors in 2023. Now, it is ramping up its efforts to meet its ambitious target of 7.5 million Indian visitors over the next seven years.

Bulbul Dhawan

The Skift India Newsletter is your go-to platform for all news related to travel, tourism, airlines, and hospitality in India.

The Saudi Tourism Authority has said that the kingdom aims to make India its top source market. The country is seeking to bring in 7.5 million Indian visitors over the next seven years. 

As part of its outreach strategy in India, the Saudi Tourism Authority held networking events in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Delhi and interacted with travel trade associations. 

Saudi-India tourism: In 2023, the kingdom witnessed a 50% increase in the number of Indian tourists as compared to 2022. As many as 1.5 million Indian tourists visited the Middle Eastern nation. The air connectivity between the two countries has also increased by 31% between 2019 and 2023. Flights now connect 12 major hubs in India with Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. 

Ramping up marketing efforts: Saudi Tourism Authority signed agreements and forged partnerships with several tour operators, travel trade associations, and event planners during the networking events. Notably, the country has simplified its visa process for Indian travelers by offering options such as e-visa and visa-on-arrival. 

Indian Hotels Company Opened 34 Hotels in 2023-24 Fiscal Year

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), which owns the Taj Hotels, signed 52 hotels and opened 34 properties in the 2023-24 financial year (April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024). The IHCL portfolio has crossed 300 properties, of which 91 hotels are in the development pipeline. 

The portfolio includes 14 new hotels that have been added as part of IHCL’s strategic partnership with boutique hotel chain Tree of Life Resorts & Hotels . The company has a robust pipeline for its luxury brand Taj, upscale brand Vivanta, and budget brand Ginger. 

The company’s future plans include upscale full-service hotels in order to tap into the potential of emerging markets, the company said . 

Akasa Air’s International Operations Commence

Budget airline Akasa Air commenced its international operations last week. Its inaugural outbound flight took off from Mumbai, Maharashtra and landed in Doha, Qatar. The airline is set to fly the route four times a week. 

In a statement, the airline also said that it has received traffic rights for three other international destinations. In the coming months, Akasa Air is expecting to expand its network to Kuwait, Jeddah, and Riyadh.

Akasa Air has been operational for less than two years. However, the carrier accounted for a 4.5% market share in the Indian aviation market in February 2024 . For context, full-service airlines Air India and Vistara had 12.8% and 9.9% market shares, respectively. It flies to 20 domestic destinations, including Port Blair and Srinagar. 

IndiGo Commences Operations From Jagdalpur, Agatti 

India’s largest airline IndiGo has its operations in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. It operated its first flight from Hyderabad, Telangana to the destination on Sunday. Another flight connecting Raipur, Chhattisgarh with Jagdalpur commenced on Monday. 

The airline on Sunday also commenced operations between Bengaluru, Karnataka and Agatti island in Lakshadweep archipelago. IndiGo is set to fly this route daily. 

With these additions, the budget airline’s network has expanded to 88 domestic destinations. 

India to Witness 10.5% Surge in Seat Capacity in Second Quarter

The Indian aviation industry is expected to witness a surge in airline seat capacity in the second quarter of 2024. According to a report by travel data provider OAG , the seat capacity this year is set to increase 10.5% as compared to the second quarter of previous year. Further, it would also be nearly 17% up as compared to the 2019 levels. 

The projection by OAG places India at the third position in terms of average seat capacity, behind the USA and China. The aviation analytics firm also stated that IndiGo, India’s largest airline in terms of market share, will witness a 4% increase in average capacity per flight in the second quarter of 2024 as compared with the 2019 figure. 

India Fourth-Largest International Tourism Market for Canberra 

India was the fourth-largest international tourism market for Australia’s capital city Canberra in 2023. The number of Indian tourists in Canberra last year surpassed the pre-Covid levels. In a statement, VisitCanberra said that 50% of the Indian travelers had visited the city to visit friends and family.  Indian arrivals in Australia last year were record breaking. Between February 2023 and January 2024, over 402,000 travelers visited the island country.

In an interview with Skift , Nishant Kashikar, country manager — India and Gulf for Tourism Australia said that India was the fastest-growing inbound market for the country due to the growing middle class. He added that the government agency is working with Indian as well as Australian carriers and airports to boost direct air connectivity between the two countries.

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Tags: airline , Airline Capacity , airlines , akasa air , australia , aviation , aviation industry , aviation news , doha , hotels , india , india outbound , india travel , indian airlines , Indian Hotels Company , indigo , indigo airlines , qatar , riyadh , Saudi Tourism , skift india report , taj hotels , tourism , tourism australia , Travel Trends

Photo credit: Saudi Arabia has simplified its visa process for Indian travelers by offering options such as e-visa and visa-on-arrival Delhi Airport

• Tourism Quest news

Saudi Tourism Authority Wins Big in India

Reinforces its commitment to the India market to create greater collaborative opportunities, as part of Vision 2030

      Saudi welcomed over 1 million visitors from India in 2022 and aims to double its visitation numbers in 2023

In line with Saudi’s Vision 2030 and to welcome more than 2 million Indian visitors this year, Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has strengthened its commitments to driving awareness about tourism and hospitality in its region. As part of the delegation visit to India earlier this month, this mission program featured a range of meetings, industry round-tables and networking events including participation at the One World Travel Market in Mumbai (OTM) and the South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in Delhi. This was followed up with two roadshows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has also, commenced an official partnership with the world’s preeminent Twenty 20 cricket league, the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) at an event held in Mumbai last week.

India is a key source market for Saudi. As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million visits annually by 2030, India represents immense potential as it is expected to be one of Saudi’s largest tourism source markets by then. During the course of these engagements, STA held 3,000 plus meetings with leading trade partners and travel buyers to promote Saudi as a holiday destination. They also shared insights around the growing trends of MICE tourism and budget travel.

On his recent visit to India,  Alhasan Aldabbagh, APAC President at Saudi Tourism Authority,  said, “We are delighted to showcase the beauty of Saudi and its diverse tourism offerings all across India. We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from our partners here and STA is committed to investing, learning and working closely with them to ensure our product offerings are attractive for the Indian market. These engagements are important in helping us achieve ambitious goals and drive visitation numbers from India to Saudi. Last year, we saw 1 million visitors, which has encouraged us to become ambitious about doubling the figures from this region this year. India, we believe, will be the number one tourism source market for us in 2030 as we aim to welcome more than 12 million visitors by then.”

“Saudi is a great holiday destination with rich cultural, historical and spiritual sites. It is home to 6 UNESCO world heritage sites and more than 10,000 archaeological sites that are unexplored and that we are waiting to be explored. This includes historical places like Al Balad in Jeddah and Turaif in Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudi.

We also offer a variety of tourism experiences such as the Boulevard World in Riyadh city, Bujairi Terrace home to over 20 retail and lifestyle brands including four Michelin-starred restaurants, Red Sea Project and much more. Apart from our tourism product offerings, we are also  working on many exciting partnership and sponsorship opportunities like the IPL. We believe that the partnership with IPL is one of the first steps in strengthening a culture for the game of cricket in Saudi.” Alhasan Aldabbagh added.

Earlier this month we launched the 96-hour stopover visa with a 1-night complimentary hotel stay when you fly with Saudia, which makes Saudi more accessible than ever. The Stopover Visa is open to all leisure, business and religious travelers travelling on SAUDIA and flynas.

STA is also opening up 9 dedicated visa centers in India by the end of this month, to increase the accessibility and connectivity for Indian travelers to enter Saudi.

Saudi is a diverse destination. It boasts leisure and entertainment hubs, including the fastest F1 street circuit and is known to host the world’s largest dance music festival, among others.

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Saudi Tourism Authority wins big in India

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 Favorite

In line with Saudi’s Vision 2030 and to welcome more than 2 million Indian visitors this year, Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has strengthened its commitments to driving awareness about tourism and hospitality in its region.

As part of the delegation visit to India earlier this month, this mission program featured a range of meetings, industry round-tables and networking events including participation at the One World Travel Market in Mumbai (OTM) and the South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in Delhi. This was followed up with two roadshows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has also, commenced an official partnership with the world’s preeminent Twenty 20 cricket league, the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) at an event held in Mumbai last week.

India is a key source market for Saudi. As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million visits annually by 2030, India represents immense potential as it is expected to be one of Saudi’s largest tourism source markets by then. During the course of these engagements, STA held 3,000 plus meetings with leading trade partners and travel buyers to promote Saudi as a holiday destination. They also shared insights around the growing trends of MICE tourism and budget travel.

On his recent visit to India, Alhasan Aldabbagh, APAC President at Saudi Tourism Authority, said, “We are delighted to showcase the beauty of Saudi and its diverse tourism offerings all across India. We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from our partners here and STA is committed to investing, learning and working closely with them to ensure our product offerings are attractive for the Indian market. These engagements are important in helping us achieve ambitious goals and drive visitation numbers from India to Saudi. Last year, we saw 1 million visitors, which has encouraged us to become ambitious about doubling the figures from this region this year. India, we believe, will be the number one tourism source market for us in 2030 as we aim to welcome more than 12 million visitors by then.”

“Saudi is a great holiday destination with rich cultural, historical and spiritual sites. It is home to 6 UNESCO world heritage sites and more than 10,000 archaeological sites that are unexplored and that we are waiting to be explored. This includes historical places like Al Balad in Jeddah and Turaif in Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudi.

We also offer a variety of tourism experiences such as the Boulevard World in Riyadh city, Bujairi Terrace home to over 20 retail and lifestyle brands including four Michelin-starred restaurants, Red Sea Project and much more. Apart from our tourism product offerings, we are also  working on many exciting partnership and sponsorship opportunities like the IPL. We believe that the partnership with IPL is one of the first steps in strengthening a culture for the game of cricket in Saudi.” Alhasan Aldabbagh added.

Earlier this month we launched the 96-hour stopover visa with a 1-night complimentary hotel stay when you fly with Saudia, which makes Saudi more accessible than ever. The Stopover Visa is open to all leisure, business and religious travelers travelling on SAUDIA and flynas.

STA is also opening up 9 dedicated visa centers in India by the end of this month, to increase the accessibility and connectivity for Indian travelers to enter Saudi.

Saudi is a diverse destination. It boasts leisure and entertainment hubs, including the fastest F1 street circuit and is known to host the world’s largest dance music festival, among others.

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Attending key tourism fairs and exhibitions, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) will make its debut at the 29th edition of South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) 2022, the country's leading travel and tourism trade exhibition from 18-20 May, 2022. Visitors can engage in one-on-one meetings with the attending delegation to learn more about the world’s biggest new destination.

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• Updated On May 17, 2022 at 01:28 PM IST

Over 1000 exhibitors from India and overseas to exhibit at SATTE 2022

According to organisers, Informa Markets, over 36,000 qualified industry buyers and trade visitors from the travel, wedding planning, corporate travel, hospitality, and leisure industries, as well as leading television and film production houses will attend the three-day event.

• Published On May 17, 2022 at 01:23 PM IST

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Saudi Tourism Authority wins big in India

In line with Saudi’s Vision 2030 and to welcome more than 2 million Indian visitors this year, Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has strengthened its commitment to driving awareness about tourism and hospitality in its region. As part of the delegation visit to India earlier this month, this mission program featured a range of meetings, industry round-tables and networking events including participation at the One World Travel Market in Mumbai (OTM) and the South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in Delhi. This was followed up with two roadshows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has also, commenced an official partnership with the world’s preeminent Twenty 20 cricket league, the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) at an event held in Mumbai last week.

India is a key source market for Saudi. As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million visits annually by 2030, India represents immense potential as it is expected to be one of Saudi’s largest tourism source markets by then. During the course of these engagements, STA held 3,000-plus meetings with leading trade partners and travel buyers to promote Saudi as a holiday destination. They also shared insights into the growing trends of MICE tourism and budget travel.

On his recent visit to India, Alhasan Aldabbagh, APAC President of Saudi Tourism Authority, said, “We are delighted to showcase the beauty of Saudi and its diverse tourism offerings all across India. We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from our partners here and STA is committed to investing, learning and working closely with them to ensure our product offerings are attractive for the Indian market. These engagements are important in helping us achieve ambitious goals and drive visitation numbers from India to Saudi. Last year, we saw 1 million visitors, which has encouraged us to become ambitious about doubling the figures from this region this year. India, we believe, will be the number one tourism source market for us in 2030 as we aim to welcome more than 12 million visitors by then.”

“Saudi is a great holiday destination with rich cultural, historical and spiritual sites. It is home to 6 UNESCO world heritage sites and more than 10,000 archaeological sites that are unexplored and that we are waiting to be explored. This includes historical places like Al Balad in Jeddah and Turaif in Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudi.

We also offer a variety of tourism experiences such as the Boulevard World in Riyadh city, and Bujairi Terrace home to over 20 retail and lifestyle brands including four Michelin-starred restaurants, the Red Sea Project and much more. Apart from our tourism product offerings, we are also working on many exciting partnership and sponsorship opportunities like the IPL. We believe that the partnership with IPL is one of the first steps in strengthening a culture for the game of cricket in Saudi.” Alhasan Aldabbagh added.

Earlier this month we launched the 96-hour stopover visa with a 1-night complimentary hotel stay when you fly with Saudia, which makes Saudi more accessible than ever. The Stopover Visa is open to all leisure, business and religious travellers travelling on SAUDIA and flynas.

STA is also opening up 9 dedicated visa centres in India by the end of this month, to increase the accessibility and connectivity for Indian travellers to enter Saudi.

Saudi is a diverse destination. It boasts leisure and entertainment hubs, including the fastest F1 street circuit and is known to host the world’s largest dance music festival, among others.

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Saudi Tourism Authority reinforces its commitment to India market, aims to attract 2 million Indian visitors in 2023

In line with Saudi’s Vision 2030 and to welcome more than 2 million Indian visitors this year, Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has strengthened its commitment to driving awareness about tourism and hospitality in its region. As part of the delegation visit to India earlier this month, this mission program featured a range of meetings, industry round-tables and networking events including participation at the One World Travel Market in Mumbai (OTM) and the South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in Delhi. This was followed up with two roadshows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has also, commenced an official partnership with the world’s preeminent Twenty 20 cricket league, the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) at an event held in Mumbai last week.

India is a key source market for Saudi. As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million visits annually by 2030, India represents immense potential as it is expected to be one of Saudi’s largest tourism source markets by then. During the course of these engagements, STA held 3,000 plus meetings with leading trade partners and travel buyers to promote Saudi as a holiday destination. They also shared insights around the growing trends of MICE tourism and budget travel.

On his recent visit to India, Alhasan Aldabbagh, APAC President at Saudi Tourism Authority, said, “We are delighted to showcase the beauty of Saudi and its diverse tourism offerings all across India. We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from our partners here and STA is committed to investing, learning and working closely with them to ensure our product offerings are attractive for the Indian market. These engagements are important in helping us achieve ambitious goals and drive visitation numbers from India to Saudi. Last year, we saw 1 million visitors, which has encouraged us to become ambitious about doubling the figures from this region this year. India, we believe, will be the number one tourism source market for us in 2030 as we aim to welcome more than 12 million visitors by then.”

“Saudi is a great holiday destination with rich cultural, historical and spiritual sites. It is home to 6 UNESCO world heritage sites and more than 10,000 archaeological sites that are unexplored and that we are waiting to be explored. This includes historical places like Al Balad in Jeddah and Turaif in Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudi.

We also offer a variety of tourism experiences such as the Boulevard World in Riyadh city, Bujairi Terrace home to over 20 retail and lifestyle brands including four Michelin-starred restaurants, Red Sea Project and much more. Apart from our tourism product offerings, we are also  working on many exciting partnership and sponsorship opportunities like the IPL. We believe that the partnership with IPL is one of the first steps in strengthening a culture for the game of cricket in Saudi.” Alhasan Aldabbagh added.

Earlier this month we launched the 96-hour stopover visa with a 1-night complimentary hotel stay when you fly with Saudia, which makes Saudi more accessible than ever. The Stopover Visa is open to all leisure, business and religious travelers travelling on SAUDIA and flynas.

STA is also opening up 9 dedicated visa centers in India by the end of this month, to increase the accessibility and connectivity for Indian travelers to enter Saudi.

Saudi is a diverse destination. It boasts leisure and entertainment hubs, including the fastest F1 street circuit and is known to host the world’s largest dance music festival, among others.

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Saudi Tourism Authority hosts 4-city roadshow across India

Saudi aims to make India its top source market targeting 7.5 million visitors within the next seven years. Committed to the Indian market, Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) hosted a series of power-packed networking events held across four cities – Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Delhi for the members of the Indian travel trade associations. The STA delegation with key stakeholders engaged with over 500 travel agents and tour operators from these key cities. STA also organised sales mission in collaboration with leading Destination Management Companies (DMC) across all four cities, engaging with key trade partners. It showcased STA’s dedication towards fostering strategic partnerships and long-term business ties within India.

STA also participated in OTM in Mumbai and SATTE in Greater Noida setting the tone for a year brimming with opportunities. STA delegation, comprising 20 key Saudi stakeholders and distinguished associates, engaged fervently with Indian travel agents and tour operators, paving the way for collaborations. The encouraging numbers of visits in 2023 – a remarkable 50 per cent rise over 2022 – speak volumes about their sound strategy and focused roadmap.

The trade shows, held in February, witnessed the unlocking of the full potential of Saudi’s tourism offerings. At the heart of these engagements stood the vibrant Saudi Pavilion, a beacon of cultural richness and hospitality, drawing hundreds of visitors.

Visitors could step into an immersive experience zone featuring life-size screens on two sides showcasing a variety of experiences, transporting them to Saudi – the true home of Arabia. Attendees were also treated to the famous Arab hospitality with traditional Saudi coffee and dates, embodying the essence of Hafawah, alongside crown weaving with flowers from the Asir region and personalised Arabic calligraphy section.

Throughout the events, STA engaged in meetings, signed MoUs and initiated partnerships with members of Indian travel trade associations, tour operators, and event planners. Attendees were enlightened about 17,000 events on the Saudi calendar. From showcasing electronic visa options for Indian travellers to highlighting Giga projects, newly launched hotels, and increased air connectivity, STA presented Saudi Arabia as a premier tourism destination.

To facilitate seamless travel experiences for Indian visitors, Saudi has simplified its visa process, offering options like e-visas and visa-on-arrival. These options are extended to individuals with US, UK, and Schengen visas and stamped proof of entry from the issuing country. Visa applications can be applied Tasheer Centres across India and on the official platform visa.mofa.gov.sa.

The air connectivity has increased significantly, reaching a capacity of 2.8 million seats in 2023, marking a remarkable 31 per cent increase since 2019. Flights from 12 major Indian hubs to Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam support our tourism efforts, unlocking a world of exploration.

STA has also lined up various consumer campaigns for this year. It includes a destination awareness campaign from the luxury point of view, summer initiatives in March and April as well as winter initiatives later this year. The Living Wonders of Arabia and the Women Wonder campaigns will be launched soon. STA launched the ‘Go Beyond What You Think’ campaign video with football icon Lionel Messi earlier this year reflecting the vision of positioning the country as an exciting destination and breaking myths.

With a slew of consumer campaigns, giga projects and major trade partnerships set to be rolled out in the coming months, STA is geared for another mega year ahead.

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Saudi Tourism Authority Wins Big In India

Reinforces its commitment to the India market to create greater collaborative opportunities, as part of Vision 2030  Saudi welcomed over 1 million visitors from India in 2022 and aims to double its visitation numbers in 2023 Mumbai,

• Reinforces its commitment to the India market to create greater collaborative opportunities, as part of Vision 2030
•  Saudi welcomed over 1 million visitors from India in 2022 and aims to double its visitation numbers in 2023

Mumbai, 22 February 2023  – In line with Saudi’s Vision 2030 and to welcome more than 2 million Indian visitors this year, Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has strengthened its commitments to driving awareness about tourism and hospitality in its region. As part of the delegation visit to India earlier this month, this mission program featured a range of meetings, industry round-tables and networking events including participation at the One World Travel Market in Mumbai (OTM) and the South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in Delhi. This was followed up with two roadshows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has also, commenced an official partnership with the world’s preeminent Twenty 20 cricket league, the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) at an event held in Mumbai last week.

India is a key source market for Saudi. As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million visits annually by 2030, India represents immense potential as it is expected to be one of Saudi’s largest tourism source markets by then. During the course of these engagements, STA held 3,000 plus meetings with leading trade partners and travel buyers to promote Saudi as a holiday destination. They also shared insights around the growing trends of MICE tourism and budget travel.

“We are delighted to showcase the beauty of Saudi and its diverse tourism offerings all across India. We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from our partners here and STA is committed to investing, learning and working closely with them to ensure our product offerings are attractive for the Indian market. These engagements are important in helping us achieve ambitious goals and drive visitation numbers from India to Saudi. Last year, we saw 1 million visitors, which has encouraged us to become ambitious about doubling the figures from this region this year. India, we believe, will be the number one tourism source market for us in 2030 as we aim to welcome more than 12 million visitors by then.” Alhasan Aldabbagh, APAC President at Saudi Tourism Authority

“Saudi is a great holiday destination with rich cultural, historical and spiritual sites. It is home to 6 UNESCO world heritage sites and more than 10,000 archaeological sites that are unexplored and that we are waiting to be explored. This includes historical places like Al Balad in Jeddah and Turaif in Diriyah – the birthplace of Saudi. We also offer a variety of tourism experiences such as the Boulevard World in Riyadh city, Bujairi Terrace home to over 20 retail and lifestyle brands including four Michelin-starred restaurants, Red Sea Project and much more. Apart from our tourism product offerings, we are also  working on many exciting partnership and sponsorship opportunities like the IPL. We believe that the partnership with IPL is one of the first steps in strengthening a culture for the game of cricket in Saudi.” Alhasan Aldabbagh, APAC President at Saudi Tourism Authority

Earlier this month we launched the 96-hour stopover visa with a 1-night complimentary hotel stay when you fly with Saudia, which makes Saudi more accessible than ever. The Stopover Visa is open to all leisure, business and religious travelers travelling on SAUDIA and flynas.

STA is also opening up 9 dedicated visa centers in India by the end of this month, to increase the accessibility and connectivity for Indian travelers to enter Saudi.

Saudi is a diverse destination. It boasts leisure and entertainment hubs, including the fastest F1 street circuit and is known to host the world’s largest dance music festival, among others.

Find out more about Saudi’s tourism offerings and visa programs on the  Visit Saudi  website.

About Saudi Tourism Authority

Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), launched in June 2020, is responsible for marketing Saudi Arabia’s tourism destinations worldwide and developing the Kingdom’s offering through programs, packages, and business support. Its mandate ranges from developing the country’s unique assets and destinations, through to hosting and participating in industry events, and promoting Saudi Arabia’s tourism brand locally and overseas.

[email protected]

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Saudi arabia eyes 7.5 mn indian visitors by 2030, offers 96-hour free visa.

Witnessing increasing demand for travel from India to Saudi Arabia for spiritual and leisure purposes, Riyadh aims to attract 7.5 million Indian visitors by 2030, as articulated by Alhasan Aldabbagh, President - Asia Pacific, Saudi Tourism Authority, during the prominent SATTE 2024 travel show.

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Saudi Arabia eyes 7.5 mn Indian travellers as Riyadh pushes Vision 2030

Saudi arabia has a grand vision 2030. the country expects to host 7.5 million indian travellers by 2030, says saudi tourism authority's alhasan aldabbagh, in an exclusive interview to india today..

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• Saudi Arabia is looking at welcoming 7.5 million Indian tourists by 2030, says Saudi Tourism's Alhasan Aldabbagh
• Tourism is right at the centre of Saudi Arabia's grand Vision 2030
• Pop concerts, sports events, festivals, all are part of Saudi Arabia's plan for the coming years

Saudi Arabia has a grand Vision 2030 and tourism forms the core of it. The country expects to host 7.5 million Indian travellers by 2030, from across the business, leisure and religious segments.

This aggressive push for tourism also includes various concerts and sports events, says Alhasan Aldabbagh, president of APAC markets at Saudi Tourism Authority.

But Taylor Swift or not, Saudi Arabia is quite the destination to visit. The country has its eyes set firmly on Vision 2030.

Everything that Saudi Arabia is doing at the moment is aligned towards its Vision 2030. If you were to go on social media - be it X, Instagram or Facebook, you would be bombarded by sponsored ads from Saudi Tourism. The promotion is aggressive, and on a massive scale, so, of course, tourism plays a large part in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.

We ask him about an 'insane' video of The Line in Neom and The Line that went viral recently, and he takes us through this city that derives its name from the first three letters of the Ancient Greek prefix neo – meaning 'new'. The 'M' in Neom is the first from 'Mustaqbal', an Arabic word meaning 'future'.

The New Future of Saudi Arabia is a Mega City-esque futuristic city straight out of, perhaps, 'The Matrix'. Neom, this outrageously ambitious project, has the entire world's eyes on it.

"Neom is a very well-known project today globally. It has some giga-infrastructures that are in the pipeline, like The Line; then there's Trojena, which is hosting the Asian Winter Cup in 2029, Oxagon, which is an industrial area powered by hydrogen plants, and we have Sindalah, which is opening in Q4 of this year. It's a beautiful island with many properties, with a state-of-the-art yacht club, and a full golf course and shopping experience, and dining as well. So, it's gonna be something very special," says Aldabbagh.

Saudi Arabia is looking at a six-fold increase in tourists from India to Saudi Arabia by 2030. How do they plan on achieving this target, we ask.

So, are they looking at making entry to Saudi Arabia visa-free for Indian passport holders?

If one were to go to Saudi Arabia today, what are the top 5 must-visit places, we ask.

"There are a lot of destinations, and it really depends on the profile of the travellers. So, you have the families, which is the big segment," says Aldabbagh.

What about, say, the millennial, female solo traveller?

"We're protecting nature and putting you in the middle of nature so that you get this authentic experience - whether it's stargazing or climbing the mountains, or having a romantic dinner... these are the kind of unparalleled experiences that are part of what the solo travellers are reporting to be one of the best," gushes Aldabbagh.

What about scuba diving?

"Now, with the Red Sea development that opened up this year, we've got St Regis and Sis Senses. There are great new destinations that haven't been explored before. A lot of divers appreciate this. They want to go to the unexplored untouched areas," says Aldabbagh.

We ask Aldabbagh what in Saudi would appeal the most to the luxury traveller.

"There is a lot. We are redefining luxury. Luxury is not just about expensive stay, expensive resorts; but it's also about having authentic experiences. Luxury is about having exclusivity; luxury is about sustainable tourism as well. And all of these three values that I mention are part of how we're designing all the new projects that are coming up," he says.

Saudi Arabia has roped in Lionel Messi, the GOAT, as their global ambassador. So, he was but an inevitable topic of conversation. Aldabbagh tells us how Messi's participation has helped break many preconceived notions about Saudi Arabia.

‘To the Future’: Saudi Arabia Spends Big to Become an A.I. Superpower

The oil-rich kingdom is plowing money into glitzy events, computing power and artificial intelligence research, putting it in the middle of an escalating U.S.-China struggle for technological influence.

More than 200,000 people converged on the Leap tech conference in the desert outside Riyadh in March. Credit... Iman Al-Dabbagh for The New York Times

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By Adam Satariano and Paul Mozur

Adam Satariano reported from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Paul Mozur from Taipei, Taiwan.

• Published April 25, 2024 Updated April 26, 2024

On a Monday morning last month, tech executives, engineers and sales representatives from Amazon, Google, TikTok and other companies endured a three-hour traffic jam as their cars crawled toward a mammoth conference at an event space in the desert, 50 miles outside Riyadh.

The lure: billions of dollars in Saudi money as the kingdom seeks to build a tech industry to complement its oil dominance.

To bypass the congestion, frustrated eventgoers drove onto the highway shoulder, kicking up plumes of desert sand as they sped past those following traffic rules. A lucky few took advantage of a special freeway exit dedicated to “V.V.I.P.s” — very, very important people.

“To the Future,” a sign read on the approach to the event, called Leap.

More than 200,000 people converged at the conference, including Adam Selipsky, chief executive of Amazon’s cloud computing division, who announced a $5.3 billion investment in Saudi Arabia for data centers and artificial intelligence technology. Arvind Krishna, the chief executive of IBM, spoke of what a government minister called a “lifetime friendship” with the kingdom. Executives from Huawei and dozens of other firms made speeches. More than $10 billion in deals were done there, according to Saudi Arabia’s state press agency.

“This is a great country,” Shou Chew, TikTok’s chief executive, said during the conference, heralding the video app’s growth in the kingdom. “We expect to invest even more.”

• Shou Chew, TikTok’s chief executive, promoted the video app’s growth in Saudi Arabia during the Leap conference. Iman Al-Dabbagh for The New York Times
• One of the booths at the Leap conference, which was attended by executives from Google, Amazon, TikTok and others. Iman Al-Dabbagh for The New York Times
• A robotic dog walking through the Leap conference. Iman Al-Dabbagh for The New York Times

Everybody in tech seems to want to make friends with Saudi Arabia right now as the kingdom has trained its sights on becoming a dominant player in A.I. — and is pumping in eye-popping sums to do so.

Saudi Arabia created a $100 billion fund this year to invest in A.I. and other technology. It is in talks with Andreessen Horowitz, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm, and other investors to put an additional $40 billion into A.I. companies. In March, the government said it would invest $1 billion in a Silicon Valley-inspired start-up accelerator to lure A.I. entrepreneurs to the kingdom. The initiatives easily dwarf those of most major nation-state investments, like Britain’s $100 million pledge for the Alan Turing Institute.

The spending blitz stems from a generational effort outlined in 2016 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and known as “Vision 2030.” Saudi Arabia is racing to diversify its oil-rich economy in areas like tech, tourism, culture and sports — investing a reported $200 million a year for the soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and planning a 100-mile-long mirrored skyscraper in the desert.

For the tech industry, Saudi Arabia has long been a funding spigot. But the kingdom is now redirecting its oil wealth into building a domestic tech industry, requiring international firms to establish roots there if they want its money.

If Prince Mohammed succeeds, he will place Saudi Arabia in the middle of an escalating global competition among China, the United States and other countries like France that have made breakthroughs in generative A.I. Combined with A.I. efforts by its neighbor, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s plan has the potential to create a new power center in the global tech industry.

“I hereby invite all dreamers, innovators, investors and thinkers to join us, here in the kingdom, to achieve our ambitions together,” Prince Mohammed remarked in a 2020 speech about A.I.

His ambitions are geopolitically delicate as China and the United States seek to carve out spheres of influence over A.I. to shape the future of critical technologies.

In Washington, many worry that the kingdom’s goals and authoritarian leanings could work against U.S. interests — for instance, if Saudi Arabia ends up providing computing power to Chinese researchers and companies. This month, the White House brokered a deal for Microsoft to invest in G42, an A.I. company in the Emirates, which was intended partly to diminish China’s influence.

For China, the Persian Gulf region offers a big market, access to deep-pocketed investors and a chance to wield influence in countries traditionally allied with the United States. China’s form of A.I.-powered surveillance has already been embedded into policing in the region .

Some industry leaders have begun to arrive. Jürgen Schmidhuber, an A.I. pioneer who now heads an A.I. program at Saudi Arabia’s premier research university, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, recalled the kingdom’s roots centuries ago as a center for science and mathematics.

“It would be lovely to contribute to a new world and resurrect this golden age,” he said. “Yes, it will cost money, but there’s a lot of money in this country.”

The willingness to spend was front and center last month at a gala in Riyadh hosted by the Saudi government, which coincided with the Leap conference. Hollywood klieg lights blazed in the sky above the city as guests arrived in chauffeured Maseratis, Mercedes-Benzes and Porsches. Inside a 300,000-square-foot parking garage that had been converted two years ago into one of the world’s largest start-up spaces, attendees mingled, debated opening offices in Riyadh and sipped pomegranate juice and cardamom-flavored coffee.

“There’s something happening here,” said Hilmar Veigar Petursson, the chief executive of CCP Games, the Icelandic company behind the popular game Eve Online, who was at the gala. “I got a very similar sense when I came back from China in 2005.”

A Sci-Fi Script

Prince Mohammed’s Vision 2030 project, unveiled eight years ago, seems taken from a science-fiction script.

Under the plan, new futuristic cities will be built in the desert along the Red Sea, oriented around tech and digital services. And the kingdom, which has piled billions into tech start-ups like Uber and investment vehicles such as SoftBank’s Vision Fund, would spend more.

That drew Silicon Valley’s attention. When Prince Mohammed visited California in 2018, Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, escorted him through a tree-lined path at the company’s campus. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, showed him the company’s products. The prince also traveled to Seattle, where he met with Bill Gates of Microsoft; Satya Nadella, the company’s chief executive; and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.

It was a key moment for Saudi Arabia’s tech ambitions as Prince Mohammed presented himself as a youthful, digitally savvy reformer. But enthusiasm dimmed a few months later when Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the crown prince, was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Prince Mohammed denied involvement, but the C.I.A. concluded that he had approved the killing .

For a brief period, it was seen as untoward to associate with Saudi Arabia. Business executives canceled visits to the kingdom. But the lure of its money was ultimately too strong.

A.I. development depends on two key things that Saudi Arabia has in abundance: money and energy. The kingdom is pouring oil profits into buying semiconductors, building supercomputers, attracting talent and constructing data centers powered by its plentiful electricity. The bet is that Saudi Arabia will eventually export A.I. computing muscle.

Majid Ali AlShehry, the general manager of studies for the Saudi Data and A.I. Authority, a government agency overseeing A.I. initiatives, said 70 percent of the 96 strategic goals outlined in Vision 2030 involved using data and A.I.

“We see A.I. as one of the main enablers of all sectors,” he said in an interview at the agency’s office in Riyadh, where employees nearby worked on an Arabic chatbot called Allam.

Those goals have permeated the kingdom. Posters for Vision 2030 are visible throughout Riyadh. Young Saudis describe the crown prince as running the kingdom as if it were a start-up. Many tech leaders have parroted the sentiment.

“Saudi has a founder,” Ben Horowitz, a founder of Andreessen Horowitz, said last year at a conference in Miami. “You don’t call him a founder. You call him his royal highness.”

Some question whether Saudi Arabia can become a global tech hub. The kingdom has faced scrutiny for its human rights record, intolerance to homosexuality and brutal heat. But for those in the tech world who descended on Riyadh last month, the concerns seemed secondary to the dizzying amount of deal-making underway.

“They are just pouring money into A.I.,” said Peter Lillian, an engineer at Groq, a U.S. maker of semiconductors that power A.I. systems. Groq is working with Neom, a futuristic city that Saudi Arabia is building in the desert, and Aramco, the state oil giant. “We’re doing so many deals,” he said.

Torn Between Superpowers

Situated along the Red Sea’s turquoise waters, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has become a site of the U.S.-Chinese technological showdown.

The university, known as KAUST, is central to Saudi Arabia’s plans to vault to A.I. leadership. Modeled on universities like Caltech, KAUST has brought in foreign A.I. leaders and provided computing resources to build an epicenter for A.I. research.

To achieve that aim, KAUST has often turned to China to recruit students and professors and to strike research partnerships , alarming American officials. They fear students and professors from Chinese military-linked universities will use KAUST to sidestep U.S. sanctions and boost China in the race for A.I. supremacy , analysts and U.S. officials said.

Of particular concern is the university’s construction of one of the region’s fastest supercomputers, which needs thousands of microchips made by Nvidia, the biggest maker of precious chips that power A.I. systems. The university’s chip order, with an estimated value of more than $100 million, is being held up by a review from the U.S. government, which must provide an export license before the sale can go through.

Both China and the United States want to keep Prince Mohammed close. A.I. ambitions add a new layer of geopolitical significance to a kingdom already key to Middle East policy and global energy supplies. A 2016 visit to Saudi Arabia by Xi Jinping, China’s leader, paved the way for new tech cooperation. Accustomed to top-down industrial policy, Chinese companies have expanded rapidly in the kingdom, forming partnerships with major state-owned companies. The United States has pushed Saudi Arabia to pick a side, but Prince Mohammed seems content to benefit from both nations.

Mr. Schmidhuber, the researcher leading KAUST’s A.I. efforts, has seen the jostling up close. Considered a pioneer of modern A.I. — students in a lab he led included a founder of DeepMind, an innovative A.I. company now owned by Google — he was lured to the desert in 2021.

He was reluctant to move at first, he said, but university officials, via a headhunter, “tried to make it more attractive and even more attractive and even more attractive for me.”

Now Mr. Schmidhuber is awaiting the completion of the supercomputer, Shaheen 3, which is a chance to attract more top talent to the Persian Gulf and to give researchers access to computing power often reserved for major companies.

“No other university is going to have a similar thing,” he said.

Some in Washington fear the supercomputer may provide researchers from Chinese universities access to cutting-edge computing resources they would not have in China. More than a dozen students and staff members at KAUST are from military-linked Chinese universities known as the Seven Sons of National Defense, according to a review by The New York Times. During the Trump administration, the United States blocked entry to students from those universities over concerns they could take sensitive technologies back to China’s military.

“The United States should quickly move to deny export licenses to any entity if the end user is likely to be a P.R.C. actor affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army,” Representative Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin, said in a statement.

A senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the default U.S. policy was to share technology with Saudi Arabia, a critical ally in the gulf, but that there were national security concerns and risks with A.I.

The Commerce Department declined to comment. In a statement, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “We hope that relevant countries will work with China to resist coercion, jointly safeguard a fair and open international economic and trade order, and safeguard their own long-term interests.”

A KAUST spokeswoman said, “We will strictly comply with all U.S. export license terms and conditions for the full life cycle of Shaheen 3.”

Mr. Schmidhuber said the Saudi government was ultimately aligned with the United States. Just as U.S. technology helped create Saudi Arabia’s oil industry, it will play a critical role in A.I. development.

“Nobody wants to jeopardize that,” he said.

The Gold Rush

Aladin Ben, a German Tunisian A.I. entrepreneur, was in Bali last year when he received an email from a Saudi agency working on A.I. issues. The agency knew his software start-up, Memorality, which designs tools to make it easier for businesses to incorporate A.I., and wanted to work together.

Since then, Mr. Ben, 31, has traveled to Saudi Arabia five times. He is now negotiating with the kingdom on an investment and other partnerships. But his company may need to incorporate in Saudi Arabia to get the full benefit of the government’s offer, which includes buying hundreds of annual subscriptions to his software in a contract worth roughly $800,000 a month.

“If you want a serious deal, you need to be here,” Mr. Ben said in an interview in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia was once viewed as a source of few-strings-attached cash. Now it has added conditions to its deals, requiring many companies to establish roots in the kingdom to partake in the financial windfall.

That was evident at GAIA, an A.I. start-up accelerator, for which Saudi officials announced $1 billion in funding last month.

Each start-up in the program receives a grant worth about $40,000 in exchange for spending at least three months in Riyadh, along with a potential $100,000 investment. Entrepreneurs are required to register their company in the kingdom and spend 50 percent of their investment in Saudi Arabia. They also receive access to computing power purchased from Amazon and Google free of charge.

About 50 start-ups — including from Taiwan, South Korea, Sweden, Poland and the United States — have gone through GAIA’s program since it started last year.

“We want to attract talent, and we want them to stay,” said Mohammed Almazyad, a program manager for GAIA. “We used to rely heavily on oil, and now we want to diversify.”

One of the biggest enticements for A.I. start-ups is the chance to make the deep-pocketed Saudi government a customer. In one recent meeting, Abdullah Alswaha, a senior minister for communications and information technology, asked GAIA’s start-ups to suggest what they could provide for the Saudi government, including for megacity projects like Neom . Afterward, many of the companies received messages introducing them to state-owned businesses, Mr. Almazyad said.

“I would say this process at the first stages is not organic,” he said. “You don’t find this in Silicon Valley. Eventually the process will be organic.”

Deciding to set up in Riyadh comes with challenges. There’s the heat, reaching more than 110 degrees in the summer, as well as the adjustments of moving to a deeply religious Muslim kingdom. While Saudi Arabia has loosened some restrictions in recent years, freedom of speech remains limited and L.G.B.T.Q. people can face criminal penalties.

Mr. Almazyad, who hopes to eventually study in the United States, said cultural differences could make it hard to recruit international A.I. talent. But he cautioned against underestimating Saudi Arabia’s resolve.

“This is just the beginning,” he said.

Adam Satariano is a technology correspondent based in Europe, where his work focuses on digital policy and the intersection of technology and world affairs. More about Adam Satariano

Paul Mozur is the global technology correspondent for The Times, based in Taipei. Previously he wrote about technology and politics in Asia from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul. More about Paul Mozur

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