Priyanka Saxena Ray
Saudi Arabia is a relatively new destination on the global stage. As the authentic home of Arabia, Saudi offers unique, diverse and unparalleled experiences, a land of natural assets, rich culture and heritage and adventure. In an endeavour to interact with the travel trade and media fraternity in India and tell them all that the destination has to offer, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) hosted an extremely successful virtual event in India. The India ‘Journeys in Arabia’ webinar brought together local travel trade partners, for an opportunity to hear from thought leaders and experts in the tourism industry.
The session provided insights into the current state of travel, and the opportunities and challenges in addressing the growing demand and interest in Saudi as a new destination. In his opening address, Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO, Saudi Tourism Authority said, “People today seek inspiration to discover the unknown and in the post Covid era, travellers are choosing to visit safe and lesser crowded places. All these factors make Saudi a perfect option for them. Just like technology has changed the way things operate in all sectors, in tourism too, we need to use technology for progress and growth – to reach out to a larger audience.”
The keynote conversation ‘Journeys Make People’ between Abdullah Al Dakhil, International Communication Manager, Saudi Tourism Authority and Indian Journalist Vir Sanghvi was also an interesting highlight of the event wherein the viewers got an insight into the activities that can be tried out in Saudi and the uniqueness of Arabic cuisine. The quintessential ‘Biryani’ emerged as the common favourite not just in the Indian and Saudi cuisine but also of both speakers!
Following this, an insightful panel discussion was moderated by Sheema Vohra, Managing Director, Sartha Global Marketing. The panellists included Haitham Mattar, CCO, Saudi Tourism Authority; Benazir Nazar, CEO, Akbar Travels; Deep Kalra, Founder & Group Executive Chairman, Make My Trip; Madhavan Menon, Chairman & Managing Director, Thomas Cook Group and Rakshit Desai, Managing Director – India, FCM. The core point that emerged out of the discussion was that the millennials today are intrigued when new places come up, especially so close to India. Since Indians are last minute planners, newer destinations closer to home are always preferred. Saudi, thus have huge potential in India. While there were suggestions to promote and position the destination as a favourable hub for destination weddings, concerns were also raised regarding the “safety” aspect of travellers in general and women travellers in particular.
Saudi offers exceptional experiences for diving, adventure sports, and sustainable tourism. The country will also host the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021. These developments reflect the new travel motivations that Indian leisure travellers actively seek today and must surely be highlighted to capture the traveller’s interest.
Following up on the success of the ‘Journeys in Arabia’ webinar, STA will also be hosting an immersive virtual roadshow for India on March 2 – 3, 2021, partnering with the most relevant destination, experience and hospitality brands in Saudi to showcase the best of what the Kingdom has to offer.
