The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Tourism Authority, is participating in the 30th edition of the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, which kicked off yesterday and will run until May 4, aiming to boost the Kingdom's position on the global tourism map and feature its destinations, experiences, products, and investment opportunities. The Kingdom's pavilion hosts the largest Saudi delegation ever, with 67 partners of the Saudi tourism sector, in addition to more than 500 prime tourism packages and itineraries that are ready for immediate reservations. The Kingdom's participation in the global tourism forum integrates with its efforts to become an easier and more entertaining travel destination, with increasing demand for bookings along the Red Sea coast and the southern highlands. The Kingdom offers visitors various types of visas, such as the Umrah visa, transit visa, and family visit visa, in addition to making an electronic visa available to residents of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries without requiring specific professions. The on-arrival visa was also made available to citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, and European Union countries, as well as holders of U.S., UK and Schengen visas. Nusuk, the unified national platform for visitors to Makkah and Madinah destinations, is participating in the Saudi pavilion at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai with more than 20 partners representing the major Umrah companies, organizing trips, and providing services to the Umrah performers. At the Arabian Travel Market, CEO and board member of the Saudi Tourism Authority Fahd Hamidaddin stated that Saudi Arabia today is the top investor globally in tourism and an ideal destination for major international tourism investors. He added that the number of visitors to the Kingdom who came for tourism, Umrah, and business purposes in the first quarter of this year exceeded what was achieved in the same period last year, stating that records were also broken in attending international events held annually, such as the Riyadh Season, Jeddah Season, Formula 1, and Middle Beast. He explained that the Saudi participation in the Arabian Travel Market aims to conclude more strategic partnerships with major international companies, indicating that major projects in the Kingdom have become a tangible reality, as the Kingdom is opening the first luxury hotel in the Red Sea project during the current year. Saudi tourism has recorded an accelerated growth that reached 121% compared to the growth rates of international tourism in the pre-pandemic period, as the Kingdom achieved 93.5 million visits in 2022. The Kingdom is today the largest investor in tourism in the world, by allocating more than $550 billion to major projects and new destinations to be inaugurated by 2030.
