September 25, 2025 TnH Global

Saudi Engages Indian Market with Three-city Roadshow, to Drive Strategic Growth Across Leisure, MICE, and Weddings

Robust industry engagement across three cities with over 500 Indian travel trade buyers.
Showcased tourism products spotlighting leisure, GIT, MICE, and Wedding tourism segments.
Amplified “I Came for Football, I Stayed for More” campaign showcasing Saudi’s rich sports, entertainment, cultural offerings.

As Saudi continues to expand its global outreach of tourism, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) held its latest three-city India roadshow from 15th to 19th September 2025 across Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. The effort highlights STA’s growing focus on the Indian market and shows a strong push in its ongoing effort to build strong trade ties and promote Saudi as a top choice for Indian leisure, GIT, MICE, and Wedding tourism segments.

The roadshows were well received by Indian trade and Saudi partners, providing a dynamic platform for 15 leading Saudi suppliers, including DMCs, DMOs, and airlines, to engage with over 500 top-tier Indian travel buyers. These interactions fostered strategic business relationships, enhanced product knowledge, and allowed Saudi partners to exchange insights, explore collaborations, and highlight Saudi’s diverse tourism offerings, from UNESCO sites and cultural landmarks to natural attractions and an exciting roster of events.

During the roadshow, Winter Season tourism products were launched, introducing new developments in leisure tourism, GIT packages, and showcasing Saudi’s rising appeal in MICE and destination weddings. These launches were enthusiastically received, reflecting the Indian market’s strong demand for authentic, high-quality travel. As highlighted by participating DMCs, Saudi is redefining luxury travel with world-class resorts, private desert retreats, and immersive cultural experiences. From the pristine Saudi Red Sea coast to Riyadh’s fine dining and designer boutiques, Saudi invites discerning travellers to enjoy unmatched hospitality.

The roadshow also amplified STA’s latest international campaign, “I Came for Football, I Stayed for More.” The campaign, featuring football icon Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7), brings to life a Saudi that offers visitors an extended season of high stakes sports, rousing entertainment, and breathtaking film, fashion and cultural events.

Commenting on the successful roadshows, Alhasan Aldabbagh, President of APAC Markets at Saudi Tourism Authority, said, “The India roadshow is a key part of STA’s strategy to unlock India’s potential as an important source market. With rising prosperity, a young affluent population, improved air connectivity, and close proximity, India offers strong growth opportunities for Saudi. We will continue to work closely with our trade partners through initiatives such as roadshows, travel fairs, and marketing campaigns to unlock new opportunities. These efforts aim to support the development of curated itineraries that appeal to Indian travellers and position India as one of the key tourism source markets for Saudi.”

A key roadshow highlight was Six Flags Qiddiya City, set to open by the end of the year, with 28 thrill rides, including the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster, Falcon Flight. Located in close proximity to Six Flags, Aquarabia Water Theme Park will feature 22 cutting-edge water rides, including record-breaking coasters and slides. Whereas Binban, north of Riyadh, hosts MDLBEAST Soundstorm, the region’s biggest electronic music festival, blending global stars with rising Saudi talent.

The roadshow spotlighted KAEC’s expanding appeal as a hub for both business and leisure, with strong potential as a MICE destination. Strategically located on the Saudi Red Sea near Jeddah, KAEC offers premium urban living and tourism experiences. It is also a key stop on the Haramain High-Speed Railway along with key gateways of Saudi.

The roadshow highlights also included gamification activities and an interactive competition, ‘The Art of Building a Saudi Itinerary.’ Both drew strong interest and full-house participation across all three cities.

The latest roadshow has marked another milestone in the country’s tourism journey to welcome the world and position Saudi as an iconic global travel destination. With over 500 Indian travel trade buyers engaged across three dynamic cities, there is momentum to engage and unlock opportunity in Saudi’s leisure, MICE, GIT, and Wedding segments.

It is also time to leverage on the energy built by the latest Unreal Calendar campaign “I Came for Football, I Stayed for More” that is helping shape Saudi’s legacy as a leader not only in global sports tourism, but wider entertainment. Explore Saudi’s Unreal Calendar HERE.