Tourism

Saudi Arabia's leading omni-channel travel brand, Almosafer, has entered into a strategic partnership with Visit Britain to further enhance the tourism relationship between the two countries. The announcement was made at Almosafer's Main Branch in Jeddah on October 28, during the signing ceremony, which included Her Majesty's Consul General to Saudi Arabia Seif Usher, several members of the senior leadership team at Almosafer, and vice president of retail, Fahad Mohammed Al Obailan, as well as many VIPs and stakeholders.

Britain remains one of the top destinations amongst Saudi travellers, with Visit Britain reported 166,000 arrivals from Saudi Arabia in 2018, up 3% vs 2017, and added SR2 billion (424 million) in travel expenses over the same period. Visit Britain has also seen an increase in the length of stay from Saudi visitors, with an average of 16 nights per visit in 2018 based on airline booking data.

According to Almosafer data, many Saudi travelers are looking beyond the London capital to the rolling green countryside and other tourist cities, including Bristol, Oxford and Manchester, and the partnership is designed to showcase the full breadth of the offer for UK visitors.

The partnership will focus on delivering content-led campaigns that showcase the incoming centers of London and Manchester and surrounding areas. One of the highlights will see RahaMoharrak, is the young Arab and First Saudi woman who climbed Mount Everest and the Seven Summit, creating a video series showcasing the Manchesters year-round cultural, natural and entertainment offerings of London and highlighting the key things to do and see, relevant to Saudi travelers. The collaboration with Raha, a social media personality and personal blogger, comes in line with Almosafers ongoing efforts to engage female Saudi travelers and encourage them to explore the world. The films will be showcased on Almosafers Travel is Happiness video series. Almosafer will offer a number of interactive activations in select branches to further advise customers about the United Kingdom's diverse tourism offering.

Fahad Obailan, VP Retail at Almosafer said: We recognize the growing popularity of Britain as a destination for Saudi travelers, and this partnership with VisitBritain supports our collective goals to showcase comprehensive leisure, entertainment and sightseeing experiences across the United Kingdom. Through this partnership, we will promote the bespoke Arabic content and UK travel plans for Saudi travelers to meet their every need, and showcase the year-round offer of this highly desirable destination."

Tricia Warwick, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Director for VisitBritain said: Saudi Arabia is one of the key incoming tourism marketsfor Britain as it ranks number 17 globally for incoming expenses in the UK. Saudi is also among the markets with the longer of stay, 16 nights per visit (+ 132% of the all-market average) and the second highest average spend per visit is 2,551 (4 times the all-market average, 604). Saudi visitors have always chosen Britain as a summer destination to enjoy cool weather and shopping also history and food experiences. With the help of domestically developed Saudi brand Almosafer with a deep understanding of regional travel needs and preferences, we will be able to design a tailored packages featuring experiences that appeal to Saudi visitors, and will support British productivity that contributes to our regional and seasonal reach.

As part of the collaboration, VisitBritain will be taking on an active role in the Almosafer Academy Recruitment Program, a 10-week intensive course that prepares future Saudi travel advisors to improve their incredible travel experiences. VisitBritain will bring bespoke training sessions to help candidates to talk intelligently about the goal and will bring the best candidates to the UK to experience the best British experience offer for them. This will enable Almosafers retail travel consultants to consult Saudi travelers more efficiently on their every trip to the UK.

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