Saudi Tourism Authority opens office in India

THE OFFICE WILL BE PART OF AN integrated global network.

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has opened a commercial office in India as part of its strategy to engage the tourism trade in key source markets and raise awareness of Saudi, the authentic home of Arabia, as travelers around the world dream of exploring exotic destinations once more, a press release from Think Strawberries said.

The destination reopened to vaccinated international visitors at the beginning of August. STA now has representative offices in eleven markets serving 21 countries, with an eventual goal of having 15 offices around the world to expand the reach of the Authority’s activities. “STA is focused on enhancing its ability to deliver a truly global scale offering by investing resources today in the network that will drive our business for the future,” said Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority. “We are building an integrated global team of professionals to showcase Saudi’s diverse offering of cultural adventures, world class heritage sites and authentic Arabian hospitality.”

The India office will be responsible for trade and consumer marketing activities, expanding the reach and relevance of Saudi’s tourism offer and working with tour operators, travel agents and other industry stakeholders to build awareness and drive conversion in line with STA’S strategy and mission.

The India representative office is being set up with the support of Think Strawberries, a leading destination consulting and representation company that provides strategic direction to global tourism brands and destinations through meticulous market research and intelligence, a dedicated salesforce, innovative tools and best practices, to nurture and develop them from a long-term perspective.

“We have already begun outreach into the India tourism trade ecosystem and the response has been very positive,” said Augustus Simon, Director-indian Subcontinent, Saudi Tourism Authority. “We are actively seeking opportunities to co-invest with partners who are keen to add Saudi as an exciting new destination in their portfolio.” Since opening its borders to international tourism in September 2019, Saudi rapidly established itself as the fastest growing tourism destination in the world, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Despite the global shutdown of leisure tourism in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, STA continued to invest to prepare the destination for a return to normalcy.