‘Discover Saudi’, Seera Group’s new destination management company to catalyse inbound tourism

Seera Group, the Middle East region’s leading provider of travel and tourism services, today unveiled the Kingdom’s first-of-its-kind integrated destination management company, under the brand name, ‘Discover Saudi,’ at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London.

Set to catalyse international inbound tourism as well as domestic tourism, Discover Saudi is a SAR500 million investment by Seera Group that supports the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to transform tourism as one of the key economic growth sectors. It will complement the goal of welcoming over 100 million annual overnight visitors and increasing the share of tourism to the Kingdom’s GDP to 10 per cent by 2030.

The brand identity and strategic outlook of Discover Saudi was unveiled on the sidelines of WTM by Abdullah Al-Dawood, Board Member and Group CEO of Seera Group. Taking inspiration from the Arabian leopard, the identity of Discover Saudi reflects strength, vigour and grace – values that will enhance the confidence of tourists.

Abdullah Al-Dawood said: “The launch of Discover Saudi is part of our SAR1 billion investment in driving tourism development in the Kingdom with a distinctive value proposition. Our goal is to serve as the go-to company for inbound and domestic tour operators and travel agencies – as well as international and domestic visitors – to access high-quality, rich, local experiences, backed by seamless service delivery. This marks our strong commitment to supporting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 announced by our leadership.”

He added: “Discover Saudi will have a multiplier effect on the economy; not only will we create a robust infrastructure to support destination tourism services, we will also work with Saudi travel operators as well as government agencies, creating additional value to the economy and promoting job creation for Saudis. Discover Saudi comes at the right time with the Kingdom opening doors to tourism and investing in mega-cultural, touristic and entertainment projects. It is an idea that has come of age – and we assure all visitors to the Kingdom an unprecedented discovery of the diversity that Saudi Arabia has to offer to travellers.”

With its focus on developing the Kingdom’s tourism ecosystem, driven by the US$300 billion capex allocated for tourism development until 2030, Discover Saudi addresses a clear white space in the industry today – with only 2 percent of inbound trips being for leisure. In addition to offering curated experiences for international and domestic travellers, the new DMC will also focus on offering Hajj & Umrah pilgrims who are keen to explore Saudi as well as business travellers a perfect platform to discover and explore the Kingdom’s rich cultural, touristic and entertainment attractions.

Though primarily serving the B2B sector and the B2C sector through its own sales points such as airport kiosks, Discover Saudi will perform the core functions of promoting Saudi Arabia as a must-visit tourist destination, serve as destination marketers to build destination value, work with travel distributors globally and online, as well as offer unique experiences to the visitors through customised itineraries.

With its network of contacts with hotels and resorts, Discover Saudi will realise its vision of being the ‘go-to-DMC for experiencing Saudi Arabia by 2022’ by providing tourists with high quality experiences, offering a comprehensive service portfolio, showcasing Saudi Arabia to the world, being the preferred partner for the government including entities such as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and building an internationally recognised brand.

Discover Saudi was formed through extensive consultations involving Seera Group’s advisory team and experts from world-class DMCs, as well as benchmarking against the best in the industry and similar destinations, and through local operators and travel databases.

Staffed with friendly guides who have deep local knowledge, a strong owned and partner hotel network, end-to-end support for travellers 24x7 and a single point of contact online booking system, Discover Saudi brings the best of both – warm, personalised human service and advanced digital technology platforms. From visa support, meet and greet, accommodation, local tours and activities, Discover Saudi assures safety, security, reliability and a great new way to explore the Kingdom.

With over 70 activities identified under six themes – tourism, nature, sports, entertainment, F&B, and culture & arts – Discover Saudi has also identified several strategic assets in the Kingdom such as those promoted by SCTH, recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage, recommended by renowned travel guides, and others. Initial activities to be offered include city tours, cultural tours and desert experiences, with more to be added on through own channels or through partners with proven strengths. Adding to its strengths, Seera Group has already been named as a DMC partner for Winter at Tantora by the Royal Commission of AlUla.

As part of the launch, Seera Group has also partnered with the Royal Commission for AlUla and Panthera to help raise funds for the protection of the critically endangered Arabian leopards, as part of the first major corporate social responsibility initiative under Discover Saudi. It will support The Global Fund for Arabian Leopard, one of the world’s largest conservation funds that includes the development of a nature reserve within AlUla.