Saudi Arabia looks to attract visitors to a host of new destinations

Kingdom unveils a number of new options for travellers as it seeks to draw year-round tourist numbers, at its World Travel Market pavilion in London

The opening day of the World Travel Market 2024 at ExCeL in London. Matthew Davies / The National

Tourist destinations in the Middle East dominated the opening day of the 44th World Travel Market (WTM) in London, as more than 40,000 travel industry professionals descended on the huge ExCeL exhibition centre.

Within the exhibition space that is the size of several football pitches, the enormous pavilion of Saudi Arabia stood out, as the kingdom enticed conference delegates and visitors with interactive experiences, including a virtual jet-ski ride through the beach resorts of the Red Sea.

We started with 6 million visitors and last year we increased to 7.8 million

Hatim Al Harbi,
Aseer chief of tourism

There was also music and sports interactions, as well as a stand which centred on the appeal of the kingdom's natural beauty during the European winter. The Saudi Pavilion at the WTM played home to no fewer than 17 hotel brands, the biggest representation at the conference to date.

Jet ski simulation at the Saudi Arabia stand at the World Travel Market 2024 in London. Matthew Davies / The National

Saudi Arabia is promoting a number of new regions this year, as it makes efforts to attract tourists year-round and especially as part of winter sun destinations. One the regions represented at the Saudi pavilion for the first time at the WTM was Aseer, in the south-west of the kingdom. Hatim Al Harbi, chief of tourism destinations at the Aseer region development authority, told The National how visitors can take advantage of its coastline, the highest peaks and 60 per cent of the greenery in Saudi Arabia.

"We have a great opportunity [at the WTM] and we are using this platform to introduce our region and create a network. In 2022, we started with 6 million visitors and last year we increased to 7.8 million. We're targeting by 2030 to reach 9.1 million visitors per year. I think we'll hit our plan before 2030. The whole of Saudi achieved its target of 100 million visitors for 2030 by last year," he added.

While Saudi Arabia's pavilion covers a large area at the WTM, it is joined by the likes of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jordan, Iraq and others to complete a sizeable Middle Eastern footprint at ExCeL.

The Abu Dhabi stand at the World Travel Market 2024 in London. Matthew Davies / The National

Tourist spending growth

Overall, WTM London has seen exhibitor numbers up by 7 per cent this year, with more than 4,000 global tourism boards, hoteliers, transport services, technology brands, associations and experiences showing their wares at ExCeL over three days. The organisers predict more than £2.2 billion ($2.86 billion) worth of business deals will be signed this year at the event.

The tourist authority, VisitBritain, has estimated that when international delegates visit a trade show in the UK, they spend an average of £352 per day, leading to a total spending of £71.2 million. Furthermore, the consultants Deloitte suggested that for every £1,000 spent, a further £1,800 is generated in direct tourism gross value, which means the WTM could inject £200 million into the UK economy. A third of those international visitors to the WTM will stay in London for at least a week, with 9 per cent staying for a minimum of nine days.

“While the travel trade are busy curating the £2.2 billion worth of travel and tourism deals during World Travel Market, we’re proud that WTM also has such a significant impact on our host city of London," said Juliette Losardo, exhibitor director at WTM London. "The range of accommodation, world-class dining and wealth of attractions the city has to offer are a real draw for our attendees, many of whom use WTM London as an opportunity to tag on leisure days and, in doing so, boost spend for the economy.”