Saudi Arabia is at the top of the game when it comes to channelising the country's energy and resources into tourism. The President of APAC Markets at Saudi Tourism Authority, Alhasan Aldabbagh, provides insights into Saudi Arabia's vision to promote tourism. In this interview, he also emphasised the importance of Indian tourists in Saudi Arabia.
What makes Saudi Arabia attractive to Indians
Honestly, Saudi Arabia is unexplored. We have over 10,000 archaeological sites, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. However, our history of thousands of years remains hidden. Earlier, people came to this country for business or religious purposes. It was challenging to get a visa. But, in September 2019, we opened Saudi Arabia to the world for the first time. It was just before the COVID pandemic, so that we couldn't do much. We have set the tone for hosting people and will continue on the right track.
After opening for actual tourism in 2019, what has changed in the dynamic of your hosting style, and/or your perception of tourists
After COVID, we welcome and host people to the best of our capabilities. Saudi Arabia has had a big makeover in the last couple of years, leading to a new facet. We have become very vibrant with our choices, and we host many events, concerts, etc. Also, we ensure our hospitality becomes increasingly contagious. We have aimed for the correct group of people. Our country sees a lot of visitors who are conventionally young (less than 30 years of age). After a lift in the standard of living of young people, they are very to explore new places. We want to savour this energy and present them with our best resources.
Indians have a special bond with the Middle East. Do you have something special planned for us
Yes, of course. Indians often travel to the Middle East, with UAE and Dubai being the most attractive sites. We are promoting our Middle East Plus packages, dedicated to Indians who travel here frequently. These itinerary package are planned in collaboration with other Middle east countries for the ease of the traveller. By doing this, we are designing, what we call, the Indian Primary Experience.
This speaks volumes about the kind of experience one can have in Saudi Arabia. Is there only a luxury experience available Or is it open to budget travel as well
Certainly We have a vast scope of budget travel in our planned itineraries. India is critical to us, and we have officially announced that it will be our number one source of market. Currently, we are keeping a balance of both luxury and budget travel. It all depends on the visitor. We have the most incredible luxury experiences, but we have also managed to get a value-for-money budget journey in our itineraries. Whether having tour guides who speak Hindi or serving Indian food at our hotels, we have all aspects covered.
Which are the places that are a must-visit
The gates have been opened, and we are happy to host anyone and everyone. As for some places you can visit, we recently opened the Boulevard World, a recreational complex in Riyadh. It's a must-visit spot as it has recreated famous landmarks of several countries like India, Japan, Spain etc. The nightlife in Saudi Arabia is quite vibrant as well. It is equally supported by safety protocols for our visitors. With these, we are ready to give our visitors a refined and upscale experience.