In a bid to boost the Kingdom’s tourism sector, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) launched the Saudi Summer Program 2024 under the title ‘Saudi Summer is Next Door’.
The program will run for a duration of four months until the end of September and will focus on seven destinations. Moreover, it will include over 550 tourism products and more than 150 special offers and packages for families and children.
The Saudi Summer Program 2024 will take place in destinations such as Aseer, Al Baha, Taif, the Red Sea, Jeddah, Riyadh, and AlUla. Moreover, the program will see the return of the Jeddah Season and the launch of the Aseer Season.
Major events this summer
Saudi Arabia has lined up multiple major events under its Saudi Summer Program 2024. Among the most prominent are the Esports World Cup in Riyadh and multiple boxing tournaments in Riyadh and Jeddah.
During the launch of the summer program, minister of tourism and chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), Ahmed Al Khateeb, highlighted global tourism trends. Moreover, he shed light on the tourism sector’s growth in the Kingdom and the record-breaking numbers of incoming tourists, resulting in Saudi Arabia topping the UN World Tourism list and the G20 nations list.
“Saudi Arabia is witnessing a transformative period in tourism, driven by our vision to position the Kingdom as a premier global destination. The Saudi Summer Program 2024 is our commitment to showcasing the rich cultural heritage, natural beauty and unparalleled hospitality that Saudi Arabia offers,” added Al Khateeb.
“Through the promotional campaign for the Saudi Summer Program 2024, we seek to highlight the uniqueness of our destinations and their climatic, natural and cultural diversity, along with the exceptional events and activities happening during summer,” commented STA CEO Fahd Hamidaddin.
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Streamlining visa services
The launch of the Saudi Summer Program 2024 comes at a time when visiting Saudi Arabia has become easier. In an effort to streamline processes, Saudi Arabia launched the eVisa and made it available to citizens of 66 countries. This makes the Saudi visa 20 percent less expensive.
In addition, the number of weekly flights from Gulf cities to Saudi summer destinations rose to 1,100. Therefore, Gulf residents can easily fly to the country and use the GCC residents’ visa to enter the country for up to 90 days. Furthermore, the number of hotel rooms across Saudi Arabia has increased, with an additional 25,000 rooms expected to be added this year.
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