The site, which was open throughout the entire Formula E Festival, has reportedly been transformed into an immersive experience zone that includes interactive museums, live cultural performances and a chance to experience life at the time of the formation of the first Saudi state through unique arts and retail experiences.
Also launched last month was the Winter at Tantora Festival in Al Ula, another Unesco-certified archaeological jewel of the Kingdom. A first-event-of-its-kind winter event for the country, Winter at Tantora Festival brings eight weekends of world-class performances and events to Saudi Arabia, including performances by Andrea Bocelli and Yanni. Al Ula lies north of the Arabian Peninsula and is home to numerous archaeological sites, being a meeting point of many civilisations. TOURISM REVENUES Saudi Arabia's tourism revenues are expected to exceed SR211 billion ($56.67 billion) this year, compared to SR193 billion recorded in 2017, said a recent report. The travel and tourism sector in Saudi Arabia has grown at a much faster rate than the wider economy, according to the report by Tourism Information and Research Center (MAS) of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), a Saudi Press Agency report said. The statistical report showed a remarkable growth in the tourism sector in recent years, following the success of the efforts of the SCTNH in establishing the structure and organisation of the sector and approving its regulations. The report pointed to the significant increase in the contribution of national tourism to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as one of the most non-oil economic sectors. Tourism revenues increased from SR57.3 billion in 2004 to more than SR193 billion in 2017, and the upward trend will continue as the hospitality outlook for the country looks exceptionally strong. SHIC 2019 The second edition of the Saudi Arabia Hotel Investment Conference (SHIC), which takes place in January, will be headlined by His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, president, Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage. Prince Sultan will deliver his address on ‘Realising Travel & Tourism’s part of Vision 2030’, sharing insights into the government’s framework for supporting investment into the hospitality sector, as well as an update on plans for visas. Organised by Saudi Event Management and Marketing (SEMARK), in partnership with Bench Events, MEED and DUR Hospitality, SHIC will be held at the Marriott Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter from January 22-23 in 2019, providing a forum for more than 300 hotel investors, owners, developers and operators to discuss the growth of the hospitality industry in the Kingdom. According to data from SHIC’s partner, MEED Projects, the outlook for hospitality investment in the Kingdom is strong, with $3.9 billion worth of hotel deals set to be awarded over the next five years. Already, the Kingdom has seen new hotels worth in excess of $10 billion built since 2012. “The list and value of future hotel investments in the region is only going to get larger,” said Ed James, MEED projects director of Content & Analysis. “Saudi Arabia has made tourism a centrepiece of its 2030 Vision with the multi-billion-dollar Neom and Red Sea mega-developments. Ultimately, whether it is for business, pleasure or a combination of both, the Mena region is perfectly positioned to benefit from ever increasing tourism numbers and investment.” Data and analytics specialist STR forecasts that the room inventory in Saudi Arabia is set to almost double between now and 2024. There are 273 properties in the pipeline comprising 90,449 rooms. Currently, 403 existing hotels comprise 93,814 rooms. ”Agoda signs hajj and umrah mou
AGODA, one of the world’s fastest growing online travel agents (OTA), and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) supporting the Kingdom’s vision of 2030 goal to increase its capacity to over 30 million pilgrims by utilising Agoda’s technology and travel expertise, marketing platform capabilities, intelligence tools and resources.
Umrah guests to the Kingdom can now visit a dedicated Agoda portal to access select hotels that have been certified by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for Umrah visitors and pilgrims bookings, as well as the wider reservation site. Pilgrims can easily find an array of accommodation options and securely book through the multilingual and multi-currency portal.
Under the MoU, the first to be signed by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah with a global OTA, the parties will explore how together they will redefine the future of travel for pilgrims from across the world to the Kingdom, working in collaboration to help to build future services including guest flow and booking accommodation. The MoU will leverage the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s knowledge and understanding of the needs of pilgrims to the Holy cities and Agoda’s technology expertise, to enable the partners to explore ways to use technology to manage the anticipated increase in guests to the Kingdom and make accommodation reservations more accessible, easier, faster and secure.
According to Saudi Vision 2030 announced in 2016, the last decade has seen the number of Umrah visitors and pilgrims entering the country from abroad treble. The annual pilgrimages play a significant role in Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry, with the government aiming to grow this sector to 15 million Hajj and Umrah visitors annually by 2020, and 30 million by 2030.