KSA looks beyond religious tourism

Gloria Guevara, Interim President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council, in an interview with TravTalk, reflects on her years shaping Saudi Arabia’s tourism strategy. She also shares insights from WTTC’s recent Global Summit, the sector’s rapid growth in the Middle East, and the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of global travel and tourism.

TT Bureau

Gloria Guevara’s return to Riyadh is both professional and personal. Having lived in the Saudi capital for three years as Chief Special Advisor to His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, she played a key role in developing national tourism strategies aligned with Vision 2030. She highlights the kingdom’s powerful combination of vision, leadership, and resources. Saudi Arabia’s opening to tourism has unlocked new opportunities across the region. Once focused primarily on religious visitors, the Kingdom is now attracting business and leisure travellers drawn by giga-projects, new airlines, expanded airports, and vibrant cultural seasons in Riyadh and Jeddah. With more than 100 million visitors recorded in 2023 — surpassing Vision 2030’s initial target — the country is now working toward an ambitious 150 million visitor goal, supported by over 500,000 new hotel rooms and diverse destination developments.

From the WTTC perspective, Guevara emphasises the Middle East’s exceptional momentum. While Europe remains the largest region globally, the Middle East is the fastest-growing, consistently breaking records in visitor numbers, investment, and job creation. She notes that WTTC’s recent Global Summit in Rome was the most successful to date, attracting more than 300 CEOs, 100 governments, and top global leaders. Key takeaways from the summit included urgent workforce needs, with 91 million new jobs expected and 43 million at risk of remaining unfilled without proper training and youth engagement. She also highlighted AI’s expanding role in improving sustainability, efficiency, and traveller experience, from reducing resource use to generating itineraries.