Saudi Arabia, the world’s fastest-growing tourism destination, is poised for an electrifying return to WTM London, with over 75 influential Saudi stakeholders participating in the World Travel Market (WTM). The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) will lead a delegation comprising of leading industry figures representing DMOs, DMCs, Hotels, Tour Operators, Airlines and Cruise companies within the Saudi tourism industry, including: Ministry of Tourism; Saudi Tourism Authority; Riyadh Air; Almosafer; Tourism Development Fund; Red Sea Global; Diriyah Company; Royal Commission for AlUla; NEOM. The interactive STA exhibition stand will come alive with the sights and sounds of Saudi featuring traditional Saudi music, coffee, date carts, and a delectable array of Arabian dishes. Live demonstrations of traditional Saudi crafts, such as basket weaving and creating vibrant flower crowns will add to the immersive experience. The exhibition stand will also feature: Media Studio, which is a custom-built media studio to capture trade and partner voices on the opportunities working in and with Saudi. Furthermore, Cutting-Edge Technology, which showcase the latest advancements in tourism technology, illustrating Saudi Arabia’s commitment to innovation and how that can be used to enable the trade in tackling barriers. It also includes the Nusuk Area, which is a dedicated section to demonstrate the integrated digital platform and tools for trade to support pilgrims, providing an easy-to-use planning gateway to Makkah and Madinah. The diversity of Saudi will be showcased on the stand with an interactive Saudi map and activities calendar, while the immersive Saudi Expert activation will show trade partners how Saudi can deliver them value, answering all their questions about potential business opportunities in the Kingdom, and offering them the opportunity to seamlessly register as trade partners using a QR code. Throughout the event, the STA delegation will host bilateral meetings and take part in speaking and networking opportunities, with the STA CEO opening the WTM London main stage before delivering a keynote speech. There will also be a number of exciting announcements and partnership agreements unveiled at the trade show. A WTM reception will be hosted by the STA for trade partners will provide a further opportunity to network with leading global travel and tourism organizations. From his side, Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board at Saudi Tourism Authority, said: “Saudi’s expanded and record-breaking participation this year mirrors our expanded targets and accelerated growth — 150 million visits by 2030. I look forward to being in London once again to continue strengthening existing partnerships and cultivating new ones to reach this goal. “Winter season in Saudi is the most vibrant and happening anywhere in the world. In most destinations Winter is one season, in Saudi, it is many seasons across many cities – Riyadh, AlUla, Diriyah, Jeddah and many more — over 11,000 events in the coming months, our busiest ever. “We believe the best way to share Saudi with the world is by inviting the world to come see it for themselves and there is no better time than now. Trade shows are a very close second where we make new connections and agree new business opportunities across the tourism value chain, making it more competitive than ever for our trade partners to introduce visitors to the wonders of Arabia.” Trade show attendance has been a key part of Saudi’s tourism strategy since it opened its doors to international visitors in 2019. At WTM trade shows over the past few years, Saudi has secured a record number of deals and agreements with key international trade partners, and demonstrated Saudi’s leadership and commitment towards the future success of the global tourism ecosystem. — SG