BERLIN, GERMANY – Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) and Trip.com Group have announced a significant global partnership, which will drive greater inbound tourists to Saudi Arabia as part of its Vision 2030 program.
The joint effort aims to bring over 350 thousand additional tourists to Saudi over the course of the agreement.
STA has established a global partnership with Trip.com Group, encompassing all brands under its umbrella, including Trip.com, Ctrip, Qunar, Skyscanner, Travix, and Make My Trip.
This partnership is significant, as it coincides with a period of exceptional growth and transformation in the global tourism industry, a press release said.
The agreement represents one of STA’s largest-ever global partnerships and will see the Saudi brand promoted to a global audience, utilizing Trip.com Group’s expertise across tech, content creation, and AI development to demonstrate Saudi’s extraordinary tourist offerings strategically showcased to a captive worldwide audience.
The partnership will encompass a variety of initiatives aimed at amplifying media coverage of Saudi Arabia’s tourism expansion, crafting compelling content, harnessing the potential of AI, and leveraging new payment technologies.
These efforts are all geared towards maximizing the effectiveness of the partnership.
STA and Trip.com Group will collaborate to further develop AI travel products and payment solutions. These tools will assist travellers in building itineraries, booking flights, and making seamless payments.
Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board, Saudi Tourism Authority, said, “Our partnership with Trip.com Group, our largest strategic partnership to date, further demonstrates our commitment to building successful collaborations with global partners to unlock shared value and go beyond traditional marketing.”
Schubert Lou, COO of Trip.com said, “Our team is thrilled to strengthen cooperation with the Saudi Tourism Authority, deepening collaboration across products, technology, and marketing to promote the captivating destinations of Saudi Arabia.”
Recent Trip.com Group data shows there has been a significant increase in bookings for flights, hotels, and attractions to Saudi Arabia across different regions.
From Europe and APAC, there has been a 376 percent and 464 percent increase in such bookings to Saudi Arabia year-on-year, the release added.
Saudi’s tourism sector has achieved a full recovery since the pandemic, with a 56 percent growth in international arrivals in 2023 compared to 2019 – the highest in the G20.
The increase in 2023 was driven by a 65 percent increase in international tourists, with close to 11 million more inbound tourists compared to 2022, from 16.6 million in 2022 to 27.4 million in 2023.
