Skift Take
Saudi Arabia is trying to change the negative perceptions held by some international tourists.
In Saudi Arabia’s latest tourism campaign, Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi aims to bust the stereotypes global travelers may have about the kingdom. The campaign emphasizes that Saudi Arabia has a lot to offer and is a welcoming destination, said Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority.
Saudi has been hyperfocused on cutting its dependence on oil and diversifying its economy. Over the next 10 years, the country plans to invest $1 trillion in its tourism sector and wants to become a global tourist destination.
Hamidaddin spoke with Skift at the ITB Berlin travel trade show last week about growth from European travelers, how the $25 million Messi marketing campaign performed, the kingdom's dependence on tour operators, and more.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Growth in Tourism to Saudi ArabiaSkift: How much has tourism to Saudi grown over the last few years? How much has it grown from Europe?
Hamidaddin: In the grand scheme of things, Saudi is simply growing in all markets, all its new destinations. And we're not starting from scratch. Saudi Arabia receives a lot of inbound travelers for religious travel to Mecca and Medina, so we're starting on a high base. We have a lot of inbound for business travel. We have a lot of inbound for visits, friends and family.
With a very high base, going at the highest speed of growth five years in a row, that's definitely a good testament.
We had set a target of a hundred million visits by 2030. Thankfully, we exceeded that a lot earlier. Now we have a new target, 150 million by 2030. [Saudi Arabia’s tourism minister has previously said that would break down as 80 million domestic travelers and 70 million from international destinations.
From Europe, we grew by 67% last year. [Saudi welcomed over 1 million European travelers, officia