Wego, Singapore-based largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, has entered into a strategic partnership with Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), to encourage vacationers in the Middle East to visit the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was lauded globally and the Kingdom was among the first countries to implement early and unprecedented precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Wego and STA will collaborate to drive tourist traffic and visitation from the region to the Kingdom’s bustling cities of Riyadh and Jeddah and its endless sand dunes, mountain peaks and desert oases as well as the Red Sea coastline.
Mamoun Hmedan MD – Wego MENA & India
“We’re excited to embark on this partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority. This new collaboration reflects our commitment to boost tourism in the region, to a destination that is unlike anywhere in the world. Since the date of the flight resumption announcement to Saudi, we keep seeing strong demand for flight and hotel searches and bookings to the country from the region. Around 4 million flight searches were recorded on our platform in October 2021.”
According to data from Wego, the current top destinations dominating searches to Saudi from the MENA region are Egypt, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan and Oman. Around 65 percent of people are searching for a short stay around 3 days. Solos are dominating the type of travelers searching for flights with 76 percent, followed by families and couples.
Mr. Ahmed Elbahr, Director, Middle East and Africa, STA, remarked that “As we continue to expand and grow our presence, not only in the region but also internationally, the Middle East and Africa will continue to be one of the most important priority source markets for Saudi.”
Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has launched remarkable tourism campaigns and put great efforts to highlight its hidden gems. In October, the highly anticipated Riyadh Seasons, the largest lifestyle event in the world kicked off, with 13 family-friendly zones, 7,500 events and hundreds of restaurants around the city.
Travelers who are fully vaccinated with Saudi and WHO-approved vaccines will be allowed to enter the country without the need for an institutional quarantine period. Tourists will also have to carry a negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test taken within the last 72 hours and register their details with health authorities.
