Saudi Arabia has commenced its participation in the ITB Berlin exhibition, the largest and most significant event in the global tourism agenda, through the "Spirit of Saudi Arabia" pavilion, the official identity of Saudi tourism overseen by the Saudi Tourism Authority. This pavilion includes over 55 partners from the Saudi tourism ecosystem, representing key landmarks in Saudi tourism such as destinations, tour operators, hotels, and travel companies, with the aim of highlighting the Kingdom's position on the global tourism map and celebrating the achievements, record numbers, and rapid growth of the sector, as well as fostering communication with partners and concluding strategic agreements and partnerships.
The Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Board of the Saudi Tourism Authority, Ahmed Al-Khatib, leads the Kingdom's delegation participating in this global event alongside several leaders and officials from the sector. The "Spirit of Saudi Arabia" offers hundreds of tourism products ready for booking for destinations like Jeddah, Al-Ula, and the Red Sea, along with a range of offers that reflect the heritage depth, natural and cultural diversity, and various options of packages and promotions, along with a rich agenda of high-quality global events taking place across the Kingdom throughout the year.
Minister Al-Khatib stated on this occasion that this distinguished participation in the ITB Berlin 2024 exhibition reinforces the Kingdom's position and leadership on the global tourism map and enhances the efforts of the Saudi tourism ecosystem and its partners from both the public and private sectors to continue the growth, development, and sustainability of the Saudi tourism sector. He also added that they are proud to achieve one of the targets of the tourism sector aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, reaching 100 million tourists annually, ahead of the planned schedule by seven years, raising ambitions towards new horizons to reach 150 million tourists annually by 2030.
He expressed pride in what Saudi hospitality and the culture of welcoming and honoring guests represent, which are among the most important components of Saudi tourism that they seek to highlight and establish at all times and in all destinations and products.
In the same vein, Fahd Hamid Al-Din, CEO and Board Member of the Saudi Tourism Authority, stated that their participation in the second consecutive edition of the ITB Berlin exhibition demonstrates their commitment to their business partners across Europe in general and specifically in the German market, enabling them to build bridges of communication with the Kingdom as a leading tourist destination worldwide. The Kingdom welcomed over 950,000 tourists from European markets in 2023, a 65% increase compared to 2022, with the number of tourists from Germany increasing by 61% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Their participation in this important event aims to enhance their previous successes and strengthen collaboration with partners to achieve more.
It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia’s participation comes at a time when the Saudi tourism sector is witnessing rapid growth, with incoming tourist numbers increasing by 56% in 2023 compared to 2019. The Kingdom is currently connected to 36 European cities and is expected to launch more than 10 new routes during the current year 2024, due to the expansion of strategic partnerships with major international airlines, including ITA Airways and LOT Polish.
