2019 marked the year when Saudi Arabia opened up for tourism. Four years on, data showed that over 27 million international tourists visited Saudi Arabia and a majority of them for pilgrimage.
Now, Saudi Arabia has turned its gaze on India. On September 24, Saudi Arabia launched its maiden marketing campaign, “Spectacular Saudi”, in Mumbai to attract Indian tourists. The eight-day immersive consumer event ends on October 2. Alhasan Aldabbagh, President, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Tourism Authority, told Storyboard18 that India is one of the key markets for his country.
Edited excerpts from an interview with Aldabbagh:
Can you elaborate about the ‘Spectacular Saudi’ campaign and its relevance for Indian tourists?
It’s a campaign that’s designed for our Indian brothers and sisters. This is the first time that we have developed such a bespoke campaign fused with Indian cultural sensibilities. It also showcases the beauty of my beloved nation, its beautiful destinations, wonders and the vibrant way of Saudi life.
The campaign is our big commitment to the Indian market. We believe that Indians are excellent travellers and they will be received with utmost welcome when they visit us.
What are the various attractions and offerings for Indian travellers?
We provide personalised experiences and offerings.
For instance, families can enjoy the Boulevard World, a theme park, in Riyadh, which opens in October. It promises to be the biggest lifestyle festival in the world complete with events, live concerts and entertainment shows.
Indian travellers can visit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site on the outskirts of Riyadh. Known as al-Dir’iyah, it was founded in the 15th century and represents the Najdi architectural style. The zone’s political and religious roles increased in the 18th and early 19th century, making the citadel of at-Turaif a centre of the temporal power of the House of Saud and the birthplace of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the Saud dynasty. The heritage site includes the remains of many palaces and an urban ensemble built on the edge of the al-Dir’iyah oasis.
Jeddah is another major tourist attraction on the Red Sea. Located an hour and half by flight from Riyadh, it is a beautiful port city, which is a home-away-from-home for diverse nationalities, including from the Indian subcontinent.
Jeddah has another UNESCO World Heritage site called al-Balad, which loosely translates to old town from Arabic and is known for its stunning ancient architecture.
Authentic Saudi culture is on show at al-Balad — from local cuisine to indigenous artefacts to performance by live bands.
We have recently opened teamLabs Borderless Jeddah — a world of artworks without boundaries, a museum without a map created by art collective teamLab — in al-Balad. This is only the second visual arts museum in the world after teamLab’s initial foray into the medium in Japan a few years ago. Altogether, 80 digital art installations are on display at al-Balad.
Couples can visit Al-Ula, which is around two and half and one and half hours away from Jeddah and Riyadh, respectively. It’s known for natural mountainous topography and the area remained submerged millions of years ago. Al-Ula is home to some of the ancient landmarks from Nabataean culture such as the iconic Hegra (also known as Mada’in Salih), which traces its origin over 10,000 years ago. The site is surrounded by beautiful and grammable resorts such as Our Habitas and Banyan Tree that boast of infinity pools overlooking idyllic landscapes.
Maraya Concert Hall — the largest mirror structure in the world — is located in close proximity. Revellers can enjoy a late night bonfire under a sheltering sky while jiving to live music amid a romantic setting.
Saudi offers an abundance of adventurous opportunities for intrepid travellers. Al-Ula is famous for hiking, zip lining, and hot air ballooning. Riyadh offers sand dunning and sandboarding in the vast expanses of the Arabian desert.
How is Saudi Arabia making travel easy for Indians?
Every year, we introduce new ease-of-travel facilities such as the issuance of visas.
Any traveller, who has a U. K., U. S. or Schengen visa, which has been used once, can get a visa instantly from Saudi Arabia or a visa on arrival. We are offering a 96-hour free stopover visa for any traveller who is transiting via Saudi Arabia. Besides the Spectacular Saudi Campaign launch, we are also launching an exclusive promotional offer, where a tourist visa will be made available within only 48 hours of applying.
What is the relevance of India to Saudi Arabia?
India is one of key markets for Saudi Arabia and there are several reasons behind it.
India is the most populous country in the world. Both its outbound market and the middle class population is growing at a fast clip. Most Indian cities are located only four hours away from Saudi Arabia by air. Millions of Indians are travelling or working in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
We are investing a lot in the Indian market and opening offices for the Saudi Tourism Authority in 10 cities across the country. We are working with our airline partners to increase the direct flights between the two nations. At present, there are 330 direct weekly flights between India and Saudi Arabia. We want to make it as convenient as possible for an Indian tourist who wants to visit Saudi Arabia.
What were the consumer insights during this campaign strategy?
We know families are a big segment that travel abroad. Group tours are a trend. We are working closely with our trade partners such as Cleartrip, MakeMyTrip, EaseMyTrip, Akbar Travels to launch group tours, which are aimed for the Indian market. The package tours are available at attractive prices.
We also know that food is a way of Indian life. We want Indian travellers to sample our cuisine, which, like India, varies across our 13 regions. Moreover, there are over 50 vegetarian restaurants in Saudi Arabia that cater to Indian travellers.
We are pulling out all stops to ensure that we are ready to welcome Indian tourists — from tour guides who are proficient in Hindi to availability of vegetarian food.
We have started to celebrate Indian holidays like Diwali and Holi in Saudi Arabia. We have also built an Indian-themed town in Boulevard World, Riyadh, where the replica of Taj Mahal — one of the seven wonders of the world — promises to be a star attraction.