AlUla, the historic desert town in Saudi Arabia’s northwest, has teamed up with Riyadh Air, the kingdom’s ambitious new airline aiming to reach 100+ destinations by 2030 in a strategic alliance.
During this year’s Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, creating a collaboration between the two parties. Their goal is to boost AlUla’s visibility and attract travelers from Saudi Arabia and worldwide, with a focus on increasing tourism to AlUla from major global markets.
Rami AlMoallim, Vice President of Destination Management and Marketing at The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) said: “Today marks the start of an exciting new partnership for AlUla and Riyadh Air, which has already made a notable impact on the global aviation landscape, notwithstanding its status as a relatively new airline. By working together, we can leverage the growing global excitement about AlUla as the Kingdom’s premier luxury boutique heritage destination while also making a significant contribution to the Kingdom’s broader tourism landscape.”
Commenting on the partnership, Osamah Alnuaiser, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Riyadh Air added: “It’s a privilege for us to sign such an important partnership agreement with AlUla. As a major Saudi tourist destination, the destination already offers such rich and unique experiences to visitors while continuing to enhance its tourism offerings and packages. At Riyadh Air, we have no doubt that with us both working towards a shared goal of increasing travellers’ numbers to the Kingdom, it will only move us towards a positive direction.
“In our short history we’ve made a habit of signing big agreements with world-renowned partners and today is yet another milestone moment for Riyadh Air with us putting pen to paper on a deal with what can arguably be described as the jewel in Saudi Arabia’s tourism crown – AlUla. For us, the work starts now; we have a busy schedule with our maiden flight due to take off in mid-2025 and so there’s no time to stand still. This agreement will see us sharing ideas and platforms with AlUla and we are fully confident that through this partnership we’ll be raising the profile of both the destination of AlUla and Riyadh Air in the coming months.”
The partnership involves launching various projects, such as smooth digital experiences across different platforms. They’ll also use data to improve content and product plans for better campaign results, using insights to make smart decisions and strategies based on trends and customer behaviors.
Riyadh Air marked its first anniversary with significant global partnerships, signing many major agreements, preparing for its launch flight in mid-2025. The airline is pivotal in Saudi Arabia’s economic expansion and diversification, as well as job creation efforts, aligning with Vision 2030 and the National Transport and Logistics Strategy. It’s estimated to boost KSA’s non-oil GDP by USD 20 billion, creating 200,000+ jobs globally and locally, and enhancing tourism, benefiting places like AlUla.
