PUTRAJAYA: The Saudi Tourism Authority launched a travel roadshow in Malaysia on Wednesday, inviting visitors to explore the Kingdom’s top heritage destinations and thriving sports and entertainment scene.
The Saudi tourism sector has been thriving under Vision 2030, as the Kingdom positions itself as a dynamic, diverse, year-round tourism destination and market that will contribute 10 percent to gross domestic product by 2030.
The STA’s event, which will run through Sunday, is being held at the IOI Mall in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital, where more than a dozen cubicles and booths present different tourist and cultural attractions.
“We are here to send a message to all the Malaysian people ... to welcome them to come to Saudi (Arabia),” Alhasan Aldabbagh, STA president for Asia-Pacific markets, said during the exhibition’s launch.
Touting the Kingdom as one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations, he said that Malaysia was one of the countries whose citizens could easily apply for an electronic visa to enter Saudi Arabia.
“Malaysians can go online by themselves and get the e-visa within minutes,” he said.
Alhasan Aldabbagh, STA president for Asia-Pacific markets, speaks to Malaysian reporters in Putrajaya on Aug. 28, 2024. (AN Photo)
Tourists from Southeast Asia have made a beeline for the Kingdom, with more than 1.5 million people from across the region visiting Saudi Arabia every year.
Tens of thousands of visitors from Malaysia travel to the Kingdom every year to perform the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage.
Many curious Malaysians who stopped by the exhibition were greeted with dates and gahwa, the traditional Arabic coffee. They were invited to also explore the Kingdom’s heritage sites and numerous sports and entertainment events.
“There is a lot that Saudi is offering today. Saudi is very rich in culture and heritage,” Aldabbagh said, adding that there were a lot of attractions to go with Riyadh Season — a series of entertainment, cultural and sporting events that run in the Saudi capital throughout the winter months, starting in October.
“In March 2025, we will also host Formula One.”
The Malaysia roadshow follows similar events held by the STA in other Asian countries over the past few years.
In May, it launched its first show exhibition in Indonesia, and in June signed an agreement with a leading Saudi investment company to develop an integrated residential ecosystem with accommodation offerings tailored to visitors from China.
Since early 2023, the STA has also intensified promotional activity in India, which is expected to become the Kingdom’s top tourism source market by 2030.
