Article: The Ecosystem of Saudi’s Tourism Sector in Alignment with Vision 2030

Sinan Al Saady

The Saudi Government is taking bold steps to redefine the Kingdom, in line with Vision 2030, with the primary goal of reducing its dependence on oil by diversifying the economy and developing public service sectors like health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism.

This trailblazing initiative offers a clear blueprint, helping us to understand how we can align ourselves with and plug into the Government’s overarching strategy and benefit from their diverse investments. It gives us a roadmap for how we, in the tourism sector, can leverage these infrastructural changes and public service tools, to capitalize on and stay ahead of the rapidly changing economic landscape.

Tourism is a highly competitive industry with an extraordinary wealth of established regional and global destinations, all vying for a share of the pre-pandemic 1.3 trillion-dollar international travel & tourism market. It’s important that we don’t fall into the trap of competing on someone else’s terms but that we design and build a market that fits our own environmental and infrastructural ecosystem, capturing our uniquely Saudi ‘heart’ through the lens of Vision 2030.

We need to capitalize on our environmental attributes and find new and original concepts that add value to and differentiate us from our wider international competition. We’ll have to offer many of the experiences tourists want and are accustomed to; but why should we make these our focus? Our tourism landscape should play on our environmental and cultural strengths, drawing in travelers from across the world, excited to participate in and enjoy the complex mix of best-in-class offerings that only Saudi Arabia can provide.

We’re presented with a blank canvas of opportunity, limited only by our imaginations. We have the remarkable gift of being able to write our own story; to define our nation’s future and map out how we want our Industry to be and look like to the wider world. The opportunity to shape it, evolve with it and grow exponentially.

I’m excited to be a part of our nation’s future and support the sustainable growth and development of its fledgling tourism sector. I’m excited to champion the development of what I hope will become a world-class hospitality infrastructure dedicated to showcasing the warmth and natural beauty of our country and our people. I’m thrilled to change global perceptions and let people see

the real Saudi Arabia that I know and love. As I dream of what our future holds, I take inspiration from our culture, history and traditions; from our diverse lands and habitats; from our deserts, mountains, seas, wadis, lagoons, flora and fauna, and our greatest and most cherished asset: Saudi people.