How Saudi Arabia is chasing more Indian visitors to boost tourism push

Saudi Arabia Tourism Board partners with Thrillophilia, India’s largest platform to book travel experiences

Thrillophilia, India’s largest platform to book travel experiences, has partnered with the Saudi Arabia Tourism Board to promote the Gulf kingdom as a holiday destination.

Through this partnership, Thrillophilia will engage with its audience of more than 50 million travellers to bring awareness about Saudi Arabia’s diverse travel experiences.

Thrillophilia said in a statement that it will introduce Indian travellers to the finest places to visit, things to do, food to try, and other essential information required to plan a trip to the kingdom.

The deal comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 aims for tourism to be the second largest contributor to GDP after oil and gas by 2030 – increasing to 10 percent from 3.6 percent today.

Two further important pillars include to become a top five destination globally with 100 million annual visits to the kingdom; and to provide one million extra jobs in the tourism sector.

Abhishek Daga, co-founder of Thrillophilia, said: “Thrillophilia will create top-notch virtual tours of the best places and experiences of Saudi Arabia for a visually immersive experience. To help travellers explore and book the best in Saudi Arabia, Thrillophilia will also curate hand-picked itineraries and deals on the finest attractions, luxury staycations and tours.”

Before the Covid outbreak, the UAE (pictured above) and other Gulf countries were the top preferred choices for Indians going on an international vacation.

This partnership aims to position Saudi Arabia on the same level with experiences such as desert dune bashing and hiking to the edge of the world, scuba diving in the Red Sea and exploring UNESCO world heritage sites.

Saudi Arabia is also planning to open new tourism mega projects over the next few years such as Amaala, Qiddiya, Diriyah and Neom City.

Previously released data by the Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) revealed that, in the year-to-date, roughly $5 billion has been invested into the kingdom’s tourism sector, across the board, from hospitality investment, activities within the destinations themselves and destination management companies.

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