Arab News, Saturday, May 06, 2023 | Shawwal 15, 1444
Saudi Arabia’s domestic tourism remains strong despite return of international travel
Saudi Arabia: Despite the full
resumption of international travel, domestic tourism continues to remain strong
in Saudi Arabia, according to Almosafer, the Kingdom’s leading company in the
sector.
The firm’s CEO made the comments to Arab News
following the signing of a deal between the Saudi Tourism Authority and
Almosafer, which is part of Seera Group, at Arabian Travel Market 2023 held in
Dubai.
The deal aims to promote Saudi Arabia as one of
the top travel destinations in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The agreement was
signed between Munirah Abanomy, head of marketing partnerships for the Middle
East and Africa at the STA, and Fahad Al-Obailan, chief tourism officer at
Almosafer.
In an exclusive interview, Almosafer CEO Muzammil
Ahussain reflected on a report published by his company that showed domestic
bookings “made up 56 percent of all bookings so far this year, up from 47
percent for the same period before the pandemic in 2019.”
He said that people are keen on traveling within
the Kingdom even after the full resumption of international travel and the
number of domestic tourists is steadily rising.
As per the agreement signed at the industry event
in Dubai, the travel company, through its Hajj and Umrah tour operator Mawasim
and its destination management company Discover Saudi, will also help promote
domestic tourism to its business customers in the Middle East and North Africa
region.
“Almosafer has several different segments that it
serves. We have the consumer segment, which provides a B2C channel for
customers,” Ahussain said.
The CEO said: “We provide B2C products for people
in Kuwait and the rest of the GCC. So, we provide them access to Saudi Arabia,
for example, (tours to) Makkah and Madinah and other parts of the Kingdom.”
Ahussain said that Almosafer has partnered not
only with the STA but also with Saudia’s Alfursan and Al Rajhi Bank’s Mokafaa
loyalty programs to promote tourism in the Kingdom.
However, the report showed that Saudis also
continued to travel abroad, and since the resumption of travel to Turkiye in the
summer of 2022, the destination has shot back to the top of the list for
visitors from the Kingdom.
Other popular destinations include Dubai, Cairo,
London, and Doha.