NEW DELHI: Major players in India’s tourism industry believe Saudi Arabia will become a big new destination for Indian travelers, with visitor numbers from the South Asian country expected to double in 2023.
Over the past two years, India has emerged as Saudi Arabia’s key tourism source market, and the Saudi Tourism Authority expects it to become the largest in the next few years, as travel destinations in the Kingdom develop as part of Vision 2030.
Throughout February, the STA held a series of promotion programs in India, including a successful roadshow and participation in travel and trade events across the country. It also signed a partnership agreement with the Indian Premier League — the world’s most-watched T20 cricket franchise — to tap into the nation’s strong sports fanbase.
As the STA’s February campaign concluded this week, it announced it was seeking to “welcome more than 2 million Indian visitors” in 2023.
“India is a key source market for Saudi,” the STA said in a statement.
“As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million visits annually by 2030, India represents immense potential as it is expected to be one of Saudi’s largest tourism source markets by then.”
The Travel Agents Association of India, which, with 2,500 members, is one of the largest industry groups in the country, signed cooperation agreements with the STA to increase the number of Indian travelers. “Saudi is a safe destination, a beautiful destination to go to ... We will be boosting Saudi tourism,” TAAI President Jyoti Mayal told Arab News on Friday.
She said that the ongoing creation of new destinations for travelers will help the mission succeed.
“Everyone is looking at new destinations and experiences,” Mayal added. “People are always looking to explore new destinations. Tourism is all about experiences. You need to create new experiences and Saudis are doing this.”
Rajeev Saxena, president of the Tourism Guild of Agra, welcomed the promotion of Saudi Arabia in India as a “positive development” for the hospitality sector.
“More and more Indians like to go there,” he said. “Indians are looking at new destinations ... They are interested in exploring places and spending quality time with family members.”
Abbas Moiz, national general secretary of the Travel Agents Federation of India, was also convinced about the attractiveness of Saudi tourism.
“We are very optimistic about what Saudi Arabia has to offer. They have great tourist destinations,” he said. “They do have a lot to offer in terms of natural beauty, scenery even the new modern cities that they are making actually will be a very big hit among the Indian traveling population.”
Many more tourist attractions are set to emerge in the coming years. Besides UNESCO World Heritage Site AlUla, huge tourism developments are underway in the mountains of the south-western Aseer region and along the Red Sea coast, where visitors will experience not only luxury but also technological innovations that make tourism sustainable and environmentally friendly.
“The way (the) Saudis are promoting tourism and marketing it, I get a sense that they want to create a new Dubai in Saudi Arabia. If the visa regime is liberal and hospitality is good, then I feel that, in the future, I will try to send tourists to Saudi Arabia,” said Abhishek Sharma, a travel agent based in Agra, who earlier this month visited the Saudi pavilion at the South Asia Tourism and Travel Exchange — Asia’s biggest tourism exhibition.
“Saudi Arabia has been a hidden place for tourists because in the past they did not give importance to tourism. (Now) they are showcasing their architecture, heritage and nature. People would definitely like to explore this new Saudi Arabia.”
