Jerry Inzerillo, the CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority, is leading one of Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious cultural and heritage projects.
Diriyah, also known as the City of Earth, is a unique cultural and historical destination and the birthplace of the kingdom carrying 300 years of legacy. It is home to At-Turaif, a UNESCO World Heritage site – a 15th century historical gem showcasing the unique Najdi architectural style that has become the backdrop for art and culture forums.
Speaking to TRENDS at Davos, Inzerillo highlighted the growing global demand for authentic travel experiences and the role of Saudi Arabia in meeting this shift.
“Davos is really the only place where you get all the decision-makers to say: ‘Okay, what do we want to do next?’ And I think that’s extraordinary,” Inzerillo said.
As Saudi Arabia accelerates its tourism vision, Inzerillo highlighted the growing demand for cultural and heritage travel, positioning the Kingdom as a unique destination rich in history and hospitality.
Excerpts from the interview:
How do you see your industry bringing people together in 2025 and how are conversations here at Davos shaping the project in Diriyah?
There is a bigger picture and that is tourism to Saudi Arabia. Then there’s a bigger picture, which is tourism all over the world. Where Davos is important … It’s the only place where you get the private sector leadership, government, including ministers, the regulators, where you can have a real meaningful conversation of what can we do to make travel easier so people can go visit your beautiful country… And Davos is really the only place where you get all the decision-makers to say: “Okay, what do we want to do next?” And I think that’s extraordinary.
What trends do you see shaping up tourism in 2025?
One of the biggest trends is that people now are looking for authenticity in the culture and heritage sector. People want to go and look at beautiful beaches, beautiful water all over the world, and you will have a very robust market on what we call sun and sea, sand and sea. But now, cultural tourism is becoming more and more important. Okay, when I go to Sofia, what’s the restaurant that serves real Bulgarian food? I want to taste that. I want to try it. Okay, when you go to Sichuan, what’s the Chinese food in Sichuan? People are looking for authenticity and human experiences. So we see a big, big trend in cultural travel. We’re seeing a lot of people in heritage travel, which is very important for Saudi Arabia. We’re seeing a lot of multi-generational family travel. Now, the grandparents, for instance, are saying, “I want more time with my grandkids.” They’re saying to their children: “You pick a place anywhere in the world, grandma and grandpa will pay for it, but we get to go with the grandkids.” You’re seeing a lot of three-generational travel. The giant market around the world now is individuals traveling alone because they know when they go to a certain city, they can meet up on social media with a lot of people that they think alike.
What makes Saudi Arabia a unique destination and such an undiscovered story?
Well, Saudi is very unique for two reasons: One is it is the embodiment of two billion Muslims whose life’s dream would be to do a pilgrimage to the two holy cities of Mecca, or Medina. That’s very unique because the Kingdom is the custodian of the two holy mosques. The other thing is that it’s at least a 300-year-old culture. It’s not a young country. So its cultural heritage, like where I am today, is the birthplace of the Kingdom and the home of Al-Saud. People want to come and say: “Where did Arabia start? Let me go see that. That’s why we think Saudi Arabia is going to be very interesting, and we’re seeing it already.
What’s your call to action for everyone here attending Davos?
There are two things. To get the message out that all are welcome in Saudi Arabia. Come and see a beautiful big country that has something for everybody. Come and see warm, hospitable and generous people. There’s nothing to fear. I mean, geopolitically, the Middle East has a very controversial reputation, which some of it deserves. You look at the crisis in Gaza right now, you look at sometimes instability in some of the other countries. But there’s many of the countries that are highly stable. Saudi is one of the safest countries in the world. Come and see a very rich part of the globe, which is Arabia.
(Edited by Riyaz Wani)