Strengthening its presence across key Indian source markets, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), in partnership with TBO Academy, hosted an exclusive destination showcase in Hyderabad, engaging over 130 travel trade partners from the region. The event aimed to deepen destination knowledge, enhance sellability, and reinforce Saudi Arabia’s position as a high-potential outbound destination for Indian travellers.
The showcase highlighted Saudi Arabia’s evolving tourism landscape, centred on the iconic Golden Triangle of Riyadh, Jeddah, and AlUla. Riyadh was presented as a rapidly transforming global capital driven by entertainment, MICE, and mega-events. Jeddah was showcased as a culturally rich Red Sea city offering heritage districts, coastal experiences, and urban leisure, while AlUla stood out for culture-led travel, featuring the UNESCO-listed Hegra and dramatic desert landscapes such as Elephant Rock.
Beyond the core circuit, travel partners were introduced to emerging destinations including Taif, Aseer, and Al-Baha, known for their cooler climate, mountain scenery, and immersive local culture. Saudi Arabia’s premium tourism vision was further reinforced through Red Sea Global, highlighting the Kingdom’s move into sustainable ultra-luxury travel.
From an access and sales perspective, the session emphasised growing connectivity from Hyderabad through four airline partners — IndiGo, Air Arabia, flynas, and Saudia — offering multiple routing options into Saudi Arabia. Visa facilitation remained a key focus, with Indian travellers able to choose from Tourist Visa, eVisa, Visa on Arrival, and Stopover Visa, making trip planning easier and more flexible.
Agents were also briefed on Saudi Arabia’s expanding year-round events calendar, including Riyadh Season, MDLBEAST, and AlUla’s cultural programming, positioning the destination across leisure, entertainment, and experiential travel segments.
Complementing the destination update, TBO Academy presented its trade support ecosystem, featuring structured learning modules, ready-to-sell itineraries, and incentive-led initiatives designed to boost agent confidence and conversions. Engagement-driven giveaways and performance recognition programmes added further value to the session.
Hosted at Taj Deccan Hyderabad, the showcase reaffirmed STA’s commitment to working closely with regional travel trade partners, equipping them with practical insights, improved connectivity, and commercial tools to promote Saudi Arabia effectively in the Indian market.
