Could Saudi Arabia actually become one of the world’s top travel destinations? As football fans flock to Qatar and Dubai’s dazzling facelift continues to turn heads, the Persian Gulf has become an unexpected travel mecca.
This week as European airline Wizz Air inaugurates its newest direct flight from Rome and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s $10.5 billion investment in tourism investment seems to be paying off.
Wizz Air Partners with Saudi Government
World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) President and CEO Julia Simpson announced that WTTC members will invest $10.5 billion in developing Saudi tourism over the next five years. A major part of this plan is boosting air travel capacity.
Wizz Air and Saudi officials have revealed that 20 new routes between Europe and Saudi Arabia are set to open between December 2022 and July 2023.
And Wizz is not the only airline being courted by Saudi officials. Saudi Arabia’s Air Connectivity Program CEO Khalil Lamrabet plans to have the country connected to more than 250 international destinations by 2030.
Plans to Open the Biggest Airport in the World
To accommodate this expected wave of international tourists, Saudi is reaching for the sky with its new airport. Riyadh is soon to be home to the biggest airport in the world: The King Salman International Airport.
With 185 million annual passengers expected to pass through the record-breaking airport by 2050, this sprawling 22-square-mile facility has been nicknamed the “aerotropolis.”
Saudi Arabia’s Plan to Bring European Tourists
Despite being one of the most conservative counties on the planet, the Saudi Arabian government is keen to transform their country into a universally appealing travel hotspot.
Saudi Arabian government
“Saudi is the world’s biggest new destination, undiscovered, unique and unexpected,” says Fahd Hamidaddin, Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Tourism Authority. “The Saudi tourism offer is incomparable, one of breadth and diversity, from pristine nature, diverse landscapes, rich culture, a rapidly expanding entertainment scene and authentic Arabian hospitality”.
Source: Saudi Arabian government
As tourism grows, restrictions have been falling away. In recent years, the Saudi government has dropped bans on unmarried foreign couples sharing hotel rooms and women traveling independently.
Men are now free to wear shorts, while foreign women can travel without covering their hair. Since opening up the country to tourist visas in 2019, Saudi Arabia is now accessible to tourists from 49 countries.
To court global tourists looking for the next big thing, Saudi has been using a conversational plan to pay traveller influencers to explore the desert nation.
