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 industry stakeholders to build awareness and drive conversion in line with STA’s strategy.
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.
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 sales force, innovative tools and best practices, to nurture and develop them from a long-term perspective.
“STA is focused on enhancing its ability to deliver a truly global scale offering by investing resources 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,” he added.
“Saudi has a wealth of iconic sites for travellers to experience when borders reopen and we are ready to welcome visitors from around the world,” said Fahd Hamidaddin. “By investing now in brand awareness and in our network of international offices, we are seeking to expand the global reach and relevance of these sites and integrating new ways of thinking and delivering on our mandate.”
“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.
To support the international and domestic tourism trade ecosystem, STA is introducing Saudi Expert, a comprehensive digital platform that provides partner companies with data, insights, destination information and creative assets in real time.
The new platform is intended to ensure that DMCs, tour operators and other stakeholders have on-demand access to the information they need to build their business.
