The two-year partnership is scheduled to run from November 2023 to September 2025 and is designed to cover the global remit of the WTM brand
With Saudi Arabia being the world’s fastest growing new year-round tourism destination, the national tourism promotion body, Saudi Tourism Authority has announced it will enter into a major new partnership with RX Global, following a formal signing after WTM London, which will see STA become the first-ever ‘Global Travel Partner’ of the World Travel Market (WTM) tradeshow events.
According to a press statement, the two-year partnership is scheduled to run from November 2023 to September 2025 and is designed to cover the global remit of the WTM brand, including WTM London, WTM Africa, WTM Latin America and Arabian Travel Market.
The statement adds that the agreement to partner was reached on the Saudi stand between the STA and RX Global on the final day at this year’s WTM, where the STA has led the largest-ever Saudi tourism delegation, with over 75 stakeholders in attendance, recording a 48 pc increase from last year.
The organisers say that STA stand this year brings to life the diverse and dynamic offering of what visitors can experience in the authentic home of Arabia, and the scale of progress of the most ambitious transformation in the world.
The STA level of attendance and participation truly demonstrates the significance of WTM 2023 in charting the future of the global tourism sector’s growth.
Fahd Hamidaddin
“Saudi is the world’s fastest-growing tourism destination, outperforming every expectation and setting the pace globally. Thanks to Saudi’s tourism leadership, each year our presence at WTM London continues to grow, and we are welcoming more visitors than ever, well on track to reach our targets for 2030. This partnership will highlight Saudi’s progress at WTM London and inspire more visits to Saudi through a series of engaging promotional activities at WTM events. Trade shows form a key part of our strategy of engaging with international trade partners – making the WTM sponsorship a perfect partnership for growth,’’ says Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board at Saudi Tourism Authority.
“I look forward to meeting old friends and new partners from around the world across all the WTM shows in 2023, 2024 and beyond,” he adds.
Vasyl Zhygalo
“We are pleased to welcome Saudi as the first ever WTM Global Travel Partner, building on the successes of the partnership with WTM London in 2021 and 2022. Saudi has ambitious targets to grow its tourism sector and our shows offer an unparalleled opportunity for Saudi to share its diverse range of tourism offerings and investment opportunities with key trade buyers and media from around the world,” says Vasyl Zhygalo, WTM Portfolio Director.
The collaboration is scheduled to include new promotional activities to inspire visits to Saudi Arabia. Hamidaddin delivered a keynote speech at WTM London as well as opening remarks on the main Elevate stage.
Trade show attendance has been a key part of STA’s strategy since it opened its doors to international visitors in 2019.
The statement adds that at WTM trade shows over the past few years, STA has secured a record number of deals and agreements with key international trade partners, and demonstrated STA’s commitment towards the success of the global tourism ecosystem.
