RIYADH: 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.
