Seeking to pull in more travelers to Saudi Arabia, IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Saudi Tourism Authority.
The MOU mentions a framework for both companies to explore methods to ramp up inbound visitation to the country from key markets from the Middle East and Africa region.
This includes creating customized promotions, joint marketing campaigns and promotion through loyalty programs which will showcase Saudi Arabia as an exciting destination to the international audience.
Saudi Arabia, which aims to have 100 million visitors by 2030, is an important Middle Eastern market for IHG. The hotel giant plans to support the country’s tourism sector by widening the footprint of its existing brands and launching new brands, along with running campaigns to promote destinations within the country.
IHG will also support the country’s economic strategy by investing in developing local talent, aiming to hire 6,000 nationals in its portfolio by 2030.
“Collaborations with key government entities, such as the STA, enable us to position and promote attractive destinations and exciting tourism offerings that the country has developed to our guests across markets,” said James Britchford, vice president, commercial, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG Hotels & Resorts.
IHG will grow its presence in key cities of Riyadh, Madinah, Makkah, Jeddah, Dammam, Al Khobar and mega projects and looks to add more than 10,000 additional rooms to its portfolio in the next two to three years. This will significantly uplift the Kingdom’s tourism infrastructure and provide diverse accommodation options across luxury, religious, leisure and business tourism.
The MOU was signed at the Saudi pavilion at the Arabian Travel Market 2023 held in Dubai by James Britchford, vice president commercial at IHG for India, Middle East and Africa, and Munirah Abanomy, head of marketing partnership for Middle East & Africa at Saudi Tourism Authority.
“Signing of an MOU with IHG comes within the framework of the Saudi Tourism Authority’s keenness to strengthen strategic partnerships with major international companies and prestigious brands with global reach. Such partnerships enhance the efforts of the Saudi Tourism Authority in attracting tourists and enriching their experience by providing best-in-class products, offers and packages,” said Abdulkarim Aldarwish, president of Middle East & Africa markets at the Saudi Tourism Authority.
Currently, IHG operates 37 hotels across five brands in Saudi Arabia (which includes InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites and voco) and 31 more hotels in the development pipeline, which will open in the next three to five years.