Saudi Tourism Authority

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) (Arabic: الهيئة السعودية للسياحة, romanized: al-Haīʾiah as-Saʿūdīyah as-Sīāḥah) is an organ of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism that is concerned with promoting travel and tourism industry of the country. Established in March 2020 by King Salman against the backdrop of the surging COVID-19 pandemic,^[1][2] it is the official promoter of the Visit Saudi program^[3] and supervises tourism-related marketing campaigns domestically and internationally.^[4]

Saudi Tourism Authority

الهيئة السعودية للسياحة
Agency overview
Formed	March 10, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-03-10)
Jurisdiction	Government of Saudi Arabia
Headquarters	Amr Al Damri Street, as-Safarat, Riyadh 12512, Saudi Arabia
Agency executives	Ahmed bin Aqil al-Khateeb, Chairman Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO
Parent agency	Ministry of Tourism
Website	sta.gov.sa Visit Saudi

History

The Saudi Tourism Authority was established on March 10, 2020 through a royal decree issued by King Salman after approval from the Council of Ministers and upon recommendations from the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.^[5] In June 2020, it launched the Tanaffasa (Arabic: تنفس, lit. 'breathe') programme, which lasted between 25 June and 30 September that saw 10 natural tourist spots being selected across the country for tourists and travelers to explore Saudi Arabia's summer season.^[6] In December 2020, the body organized the Sheeta Haulaka (Arabic: الشتاء حولك, romanized: al-Šitāʾ Ḥaūlaka, lit. 'Winter is around you') programme, which lasted between 10 December and the end of March 2021 that saw 17 destinations being selected within Saudi Arabia, allowing tourists and travelers to explore the country's geographical and climatic diversity during the winter season.^[7] In March 2021, it launched the Tourism Makers initiative which aimed at encouraging small and medium business enterprises in the private sector to engage in the country's growing tourism industry.^[8] In December 2021, it launched the Ruh as-Saudiyah programme (Arabic: روح السعودية, romanized: Rūḥ as-Saʿūdīyyah, lit. 'Spirit of Saudi') that organized events to showcase the culture and heritage of Saudi Arabia and aimed at targeting tourists from the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as the Middle East region.^[9] In November 2023, a Tokyo-based travel company, HIS and the Saudi Tourism Authority signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost tourism in the Kingdom.^[10][11] In November 2023, The Saudi Tourism Authority, along with other Saudi entities, took part in Media Oasis, a Ministry of Media initiative, in France, aims at redefining media coverage by utilizing modern technology in covering national events and global engagements.^[12]

In 2022 and 2023, the Saudi Tourism Authority tried to be a sponsor of the FIFA Women's world cup 2023. It was not allowed to. Football Australia slammed FIFA and the Saudis for this as Football Australia ( and Football New Zealand ) were never consulted. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has many human rights violations.^[13]

References

1. "Saudi Arabia Establishes New Tourism Authority". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
2. . 2020-03-10. Archived from the original on 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
3. "Saudi Tourism Authority". sta.gov.sa. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
4. . 2020-03-10. Archived from the original on 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
5. "إنشاء هيئة للسياحة وبرنامج وطني لتنمية قطاع تقنية المعلومات". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
6. "الهيئة السعودية للسياحة تعلن إطلاق موسم صيف السعودية 'تنفس'". صحيفة مكة (in Arabic). 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
7. "الهيئة السعودية للسياحة تعلن إطلاق موسم "الشتاء حولك"". العربية (in Arabic). 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
8. هي, مجلة. "الهيئة السعودية للسياحة تطلق مبادرة "صُناع السياحة"". www.hiamag.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-07-14.
9. "رئيس هيئة السياحة السعودية: نرحب مجدداً بالزوار من دول الخليج والعالم". صدى البلد (in Arabic). 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
10. "Japanese travel company signs memorandum of understanding with Saudi Tourism Authority". 21 November 2023.
11. "Japanese travel company signs memorandum of understanding with Saudi Tourism Authority". 22 November 2023.
12. "Saudi Tourism Authority takes part in Media Oasis, France". www.tradearabia.com. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
13. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/disgraceful-in-the-extreme-fifa-slammed-for-saudi-sponsorship-of-women-s-world-cup-20230131-p5cgox.html