Saudi Arabia gets ready to receive foreign tourists again
During the Saudi Tourism Summit at the Arab Travel Market 2021, Fahd Hamiduddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, addressed travel and tourism industry professionals to welcome foreign tourists again.
He explained the travel and tourism industry in the kingdom maintained its recovery throughout 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 due to the success of the domestic tourism campaign. He heralds the return of Saudi Arabia to achieving profitability by 2024, if not earlier, referring to the words of the Saudi Airlines CEO.
Tourism and travel leaders gathered at the Saudi Tourism Summit on the global stage of the Arab Travel Market 2021 yesterday to discuss the positive repercussions of the strategy on the country, people, investors, and millions of travellers worldwide.
“The priority for us was to save lives, but we also committed to protecting livelihoods and providing jobs through our successful local tourism campaign, which resulted in a 33% increase in spending and hotel occupancy rate 50%,” said Hamiduddin.
The strength of the local market has been confirmed in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, as Saudi Arabia operates its 28 domestic airports at nearly 80% of their 2019 levels, with demand sometimes exceeding its capacity.
The Summit also discussed developments that preserve the kingdom’s natural assets and promote future cities in the desert and luxury resorts with a strong focus on sustainability.
The Arab Travel Market 2021 exhibition will continue until tomorrow at the Dubai World Trade Center. A virtual event will be launched from 24 to 26 May 2021, with the aim of reaching a larger segment of visitors who may not be able to travel to Dubai.