Held at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center (RFECC), the inaugural WTM Spotlight Riyadh concluded on a high note, serving as a dynamic platform connecting the Kingdom to the global travel landscape. With discussions revolving around Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning outbound market - currently valued at $35 billion and projected to surpass $60 billion over the next decade - and the rapid transformation of domestic and inbound tourism, industry leaders gathered to share key insights, emerging trends, and ground-level strategies.
TTN’s Publishing Director Kim Thomson caught up with key industry figures across the show floor to explore how technology, entertainment, maritime journeys, and experiential itineraries are driving the next wave of tourism in the Kingdom.
Almosafer
Discussing Almosafer’s latest trend report, Muzzammil Ahussain, Chief Executive Officer, highlighted how artificial intelligence is actively reshaping how Saudi travellers explore and book holidays.
“We wanted to use AI in a way that makes it easier for customers to search for information. Earlier this year, we launched an AI tool through ChatGPT that allows clients to type, in either Arabic or English, what they are looking for in a hotel - for example, whether it has a kids’ club, a pool, a gym, and other facilities. What we found was that 20 per cent of the country’s travellers were interacting with AI to support them in their search.”
Domestic travel continues to display massive appetite, accounting for approximately 45 per cent of all bookings, with the Red Sea seeing an increase of more than 4,000 per cent. On the outbound front, staples such as London, Paris, Cairo, and Türkiye remain consistent favourites, while enhanced direct air connectivity is fuelling emerging momentum toward destinations like Spain and Moscow.
Discover Saudi
Bringing decades of inbound regional expertise dating back to 1994 in Jordan, Assad Hijazi, Managing Partner, Discover Saudi, outlined Discover Saudi’s vision to present the Kingdom through an authentic, community-centric lens.
“We felt we should invest in Saudi Arabia because we believe the country will become one of the main tourist attractions in the region. Our first phase is to sell our packages through the international tour operators we already work with. What we offer is completely different from what is currently being advertised in the market. We focus more on experiences where guests can interact with local communities. We have driven more than 15,000 kilometres across Saudi Arabia to discover places that are far away and uncover its hidden secrets.”
In addition to anchoring itineraries around high-profile destinations like AlUla and the Red Sea's luxury resorts, Discover Saudi leverages its cross-border capabilities to provide combined multi-destination programmes spanning both Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Qiddiya City
Positioned just 40 minutes outside the capital, the 360-square-kilometre Qiddiya City is advancing rapidly toward its master plan of over 71 assets, having recently opened Six Flags and Aquarabia, with golf assets opening next month. Mohammed Almuhaidib, Senior Brand Marketing Manager – Destination Marketing, Qiddiya Company, articulated the core philosophy underpinning the mega-development: the world's first city built entirely for play.
“Rome is associated with the Romans and its history. Las Vegas has its famous ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ identity. New York is known as ‘the city that never sleeps’. For us, that defining idea is play. We are building an entire city around it.”
“Because play is at the very core of being human. The more we play, the younger we feel. We learn faster, we connect more deeply, and we experience life differently. So, for us, play is not simply an activity or a form of entertainment. It is at the heart of what it means to be human - and it is at the heart of Qiddiya City.”
Saudi Silk Road
Celebrating a decade of operations in the Kingdom after evolving from roots in Petra in the late 1980s, Saudi Silk Road is capitalising on strong international demand for raw, authentic exploration.
Waseem Shabann, Head of Product, Saudi Silk Road, said: “Saudi has so much to offer, with its deep-rooted history, amazing culture and heritage destinations. It also has so many hidden, remote and untouched places, and this is what we are really focusing on and selling,” he noted, pointing out year-on-year volume growth of roughly 100% since 2014.
While Western Europe - spearheaded by Germany and the UK - remains the company’s cornerstone inbound source market, Shabann emphasised an increasingly diverse intake, drawing steady travellers from the United States, Australia, Canada, and Latin America.
Ugandan Embassy
Rounding out the international diplomatic and destination outreach at the event, representatives from the Ugandan Embassy underscored their proactive engagement in building tourism bridges with the GCC.
Pointing to warm bilateral relations and room for considerable growth from the region, the embassy is rolling out deliberate promotional campaigns, utilising platforms like WTM Spotlight Riyadh to drive awareness of Uganda’s biodiversity and leisure offerings. Bilateral discussions across the event generated meaningful traction with both existing industry collaborators and new travel partners seeking fresh inbound options for Saudi and Gulf holidaymakers.