The Royal Commission for AlUla announced Wednesday that Seera Group, the region's leading provider of travel and tourism services, has been appointed as the key Destination Management Company (DMC) for the second season of Winter at Tantora, a timeless festival in a timeless place named AlUla, a cultural and historical destination that is home Saudia Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Seera Group was chosen for its integrated breadth of offering covering not only travel and flight bookings but also airport handling, accommodation, ground transportation in AlUla, guest management, ticketing, VIP services and other value-added offerings, which will ensure that visitors from anywhere in the world can experience the unique ‘Winter at Tantora' festival with ease and efficiency. Set in the natural beauty of AlUla, last year's inaugural Winter at Tantora was a success, welcoming high-profile guests from around the world and hosting 37,000 visitors from 72 countries. The second edition of the festival will be held from December 19, 2019, to March 7, 2020, offering additional weekends for visitors to enjoy cultural programming, equine events and celebrity performances by some of the world's greatest musicians. Amr AlMadani, Chief Executive Officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla, said: "As we welcome visitors to our second season of Winter at Tantora, this partnership will help ensure our international visitors benefit from a smooth and customer-friendly travel experience from door to door. It will provide an opportunity for us to share AlUla's spectacular treasures, including Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO heritage site, Hegra, with guests from around the world. It will also help us to move closer towards fulfilling our vision for AlUla to be the place of heritage for the world in line with Vision 2030 goals to drive cultural tourism to the Kingdom and to create economic diversification." Abdullah Aldawood, CEO of Seera Group, said: "We are honored to partner with the Royal Commission for AlUla on the spectacular Winter at Tantora festival, and we are thankful to them for their support. Choosing us as a DMC for the event underlines our competencies in offering tailored solutions for international and Saudi-based visitors – covering all aspects of their journey. In addition to working with our global offices and affiliates, we will promote Winter at Tantora through our outlets at all key airports in the Kingdom. Our diversified and customized service offering is aimed at further promoting Winter at Tantora and to contribute to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030." Described as one of the world's greatest undiscovered wonders, AlUla was positioned on the ancient Incense Route between Southern Arabia and Egypt. It once thrived as a hub of commercial and cultural exchange. Seera Group will highlight the destination through its dedicated campaign to promote Winter at Tantora, which is expected to welcome over 40,000 people through the weekend programmes. The Royal Commission for AlUla aims to attract two million visitors to AlUla by 2035. Positioning AlUla as the ultra-luxury destination and Winter at Tantora as the must-visit event, Seera Group will leverage its technology-powered travel services to attract and welcome visitors from around the world. Led by its mission to enhance the overall experience for visitors, Seera Group will draw on its diversified strengths, specialised business divisions, resources and relationships with partners to strengthen visitor arrival and assure them the most memorable experiences in the Kingdom. Through the partnership, visitors can enjoy a seamless booking, travel, local transport and stay experience through Seera Group. The Group's flagship consumer travel brand Almosafer will market the festival extensively across social media and other communications channels and offer visitors an extensive range of package options including accommodation, flights, transportation and ancillary services for both weekend visits or one-day options. Visitors are also offered one on one personal consultation with travel advisors across Almosafer's retail network in the Kingdom. Further, by drawing on its existing wide-ranging hotel's contracts and expertise in providing guest management services through the Hajj and Umrah business ‘Mawasim', Seera Group's services will manage all aspects of visitor's accommodation at Winter at Tantora. Visitors also have a choice to travel with efficiency and hassle-free to and from AlUla with Lumi, the car rental business of Seera Group and the region's largest provider of travel services. Seera Group is also going to consult and work with the current accommodation providers to enhance and elevate the guest experience whilst in destination, not only for the festival but year-round. Seera Group commits to providing a cutting-edge visitor experience at the Winter at Tantora festival. The new partnership is a testament to the Group's long-standing commitment to enhance the customer experience in the Kingdom. In addition, the partnership is also going to elevate the overall tourism experience in the Kingdom not only for domestic travellers but those that are discovering the untouched beauty that the country has to offer. — SG
