Key stakeholders from travel industry gather at ITB Berlin 2024
A delegation from Saudi Arabia headed to the ITB Berlin to highlight the country’s tourism success in 2023. Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism for Saudi Arabia, led a delegation at ITB Berlin to build awareness of its year-round destination offerings to the European market.
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00:00 At the end of the day, we`re all travelers. We all want to go travel the world, visit
00:06 new destinations, experience something new for the first time.
00:14 Hello and welcome to this edition of "The Agenda." And where? At ITB Berlin. That is
00:20 the world`s leading travel trade show. And what better place to have your stand here
00:27 and it`s Saudi Arabia. You call it a stand, but it`s not really. It`s huge. It`s absolutely
00:32 huge. And joining us is the Saudi minister of tourism, Ahmed Al-Khatib. Welcome, Mr.
00:39 Minister. Welcome, Your Excellency.
00:40 Thank you, Chris.
00:41 You got to 100 million tourists last year for the first time. How does that feel? This
00:47 is - it almost makes this a celebration, doesn`t it?
00:49 It`s a testimony of how the world would like to come and visit Saudi Arabia and experience
00:58 the Arabian culture and the Saudi hospitality. The World Travel and Tourism Council is expecting
01:03 the number of travelers to double by 2032. And we just started the Red Sea projects and
01:12 the Red Sea Resorts. And Neom and Sindala in Neom, it will be best islands ever launched,
01:20 you know, and you will enjoy the best sea and sun and sea experience in Sindala. It
01:26 will be - will start in October this year. And we will continue to offer content for
01:33 the international travelers, whether in the mountain, the Green Mountain in the south
01:38 of Saudi Arabia or at the Red Sea for the people who travel for the sun and sea and
01:46 coastal travel. In the same time, we are maintaining and preserving our environment.
01:52 OK. So, also joining us is Princess Haifa. Princess Haifa is vice minister of tourism
02:00 for Saudi Arabia. And the energy level here in this stand is quite impressive. But you
02:07 know what? If you go all through this ITV Berlin travel trade show, it`s like that all
02:13 over the place. How do you compete with that? How do you stand out from that?
02:20 Competition is good. Competition is great. It`s healthy. And, you know, Saudi Arabia
02:24 is a brand new destination that has just opened up its doors in 2019. We`re welcoming the
02:30 world with this energy that you see here today with our young people. Two-thirds of our population
02:36 is under the age of 35. They`re full of energy, they`re worldly, they`re super excited to
02:42 host people.
02:43 And there`s also that sort of economic side to it. You`re talking about the youth. It`s
02:47 very important for the people of Saudi Arabia for there to be employment, for there to be
02:53 opportunities. Half of those in the tourist business in Saudi Arabia are women. Can I
02:59 stay on the theme of women and women tourists?
03:02 Is it safe for a woman to travel in Saudi Arabia?
03:05 I`ll keep the answer very simple and tell you we are very happy today to see global
03:11 indices such as Insure My Trip rank Saudi cities and Saudi destinations as the top safest
03:19 for female travelers in the world.
03:22 So, I`ll just say today what even international platforms give the stamp of approval.
03:29 So, we`re also joined here at ITV with the CEO of Visit Saudi, Fahad Hamidadin. Welcome,
03:37 Your Excellency.
03:38 What`s new in Saudi Arabia for a tourist like me to come and see?
03:43 What`s not? Saudi has been growing at a pace that surpasses all other destinations in the
03:51 world. Let me say that this land is not like any other land. This land has witnessed the
03:57 walks and the roots of civilizations, trades, Bedouins, and with every civilization that
04:05 spans thousands of years back in time, left us with archeology, history, mystery and wisdom
04:13 in form with archeological sites that our people can visit.
04:16 But also poetry, romance, legends, all these are stories. Who`s best to provide these stories
04:23 to the travelers, but the local tour guides? Going back to your point, real Saudi is when
04:28 you see real local people telling you those stories. And I think Deepak today, back to
04:34 the panel, said I was most riveted by seeing the passion in the local tour guides, talking
04:41 about their place, their story, their food and experiences.
04:44 All I can say is this land is not like any other land and the time is now and this land
04:49 is calling.
04:50 (Music)
04:55 (upbeat music)
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