Saudi Arabia’s Travel & Tourism Breaks All Records

Gloria Guevara Manzo, Saudi Arabia’s chief special advisor to the tourism minister, has announced she’s stepping down.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today unveiled the remarkable growth of Travel & Tourism in France last year, with the sector’s GDP contribution surging by nearly 6% year-on-year to a record-breaking €246BN. According to the global tourism body’s latest research, in 2023, Travel & Tourism soared 4.3% above the previous peak, representing 8.8% of France’s total economic output, signalling a year of significant growth for the sector.

Some of the world’s leading certification organizations, such as the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), Green Key International and Blue Flag International have begun a collaboration to improve cooperation and address better practices to encourage the travel and tourism industry’s sustainability transition. 

Tourism in the Middle Eastern country of Oman is improving. The Gulf nation was hit hard by Covid and had long struggled to recoup its tourism sector. But government measures are helping.

Portland is losing a tourism champion. Jeff Miller, who has served for 19 years as CEO and president of Travel Portland, the city’s destination marketing organization, will retire in December, reported Northstar Meetings Group.

Spiritual tourism will help develop more tourism-related infrastructure in emerging cities in India, according to a report by real estate services firm Colliers.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Travel Leaders Network president Roger Block, who will step down from his executive role at the end of this year, is confident he is leaving TLN better than when he found it.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), the latest global phenomenon, was a major focus at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Caribbean Week in New York, where a Ministerial forum looked at leveraging AI for tourism development. During the discussions, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett highlighted that this technology will be the new frontier for Caribbean tourism and must be harnessed properly to enable more seamlessness within the industry.

Saudi Tourism Authority made its debut at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, with an address by CEO Fahd Hamidaddin on the crucial role creativity plays in shaping the conversation around tourism, and the country more broadly. Driven by ambitious goals, Saudi is placing creativity and innovation at the centre of its push to diversify its economy and leverage opportunities on its path of transformation. Tourism is a visible showcase, using creativity to help spark conversation around the dramatic changes on the ground and shatter prejudice. In a 30-minute address attended by leading creatives from around the world, Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority stated: “Storytelling is something that Arabia has always cherished, and creativity is the beacon of our future, it’s the beauty of imagination meeting innovation.” Speaking of Saudi’s journey towards 2030, with its focus on creativity – the new energy source, he outlined Saudi’s aim: ”We are experiencing a transformation which takes Saudi from being oil dependent to becoming a fully diversified hyper-growth economy that sits at the centre of the world - economically, socially and creatively as well.” The keynote paid tribute to the Saudi creative forces re-shaping the narrative on a world stage. Pointing to art showcases, the burgeoning entertainment scene - with Saudi entries to both the Oscars and the Festival du Cinema at Cannes - a growing cadre of home-grown and international creatives working together to demonstrate the importance of creativity in furthering the country’s ambitions. Taking the audience on a journey through some key developments in Saudi’s arts and entertainment space, he expressed pride in Saudi’s innovation and creativity: “If you think you know Saudi, think again. Even Saudis don’t recognize it amid the changes and transformations happening every day.”

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett arrived in New York City to participate in a series of events and activities for the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Caribbean Week celebrations from June 16 to June 21. While in the USA, Minister Bartlett and senior tourism officials will embark on a strong multi-city marketing blitz that will also take them to Chicago and Dallas.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) has revealed Türkiye’s Travel & Tourism sector broke all records last year, reaching new milestones across four key metrics.

As the weather warms up you may have started thinking, of the right destination to choose for a cooler escape. Why not consider a vacation to explore an unexpected destination, Saudi, which contrary to preconceptions has average summer temperatures of between 24°C - 78°F - 27 °C/ 84°F in the mountains and along its coastlines.