With the KSA Tourism 2030 Vision to become one of the top global tourism destinations, and the easing of access and visa restrictions, Saudi Arabia is now open to many countries for leisure, business, and religious travel. This includes the new Stopover Visa, which is available to all travelers passing through Saudi Arabia. And with Hilton fast growing portfolio of hotels to be 51 hotels in the coming few years.

Hilton successfully partnered with the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) and completed a co-funded and co-branded Destination Marketing Campaign in summer 2023.

The campaign objective was aligned with the STA's vision to drive visitations to Saudi Arabia and increase the length of stay of visitors from emerging key source markets. The campaign also aimed to increase consideration of our Hilton portfolio of hotels in Saudi Arabia's main cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Makkah, and Madinah.

To support these objectives, we developed the campaign in two themes with two innovative offers targeting the outbound demand into Saudi Arabia:

• City breaks and family holidays: We emphasized discounts and experiences, such as adventures and fun elements, to change perceptions of Saudi Arabia.

• Religious travelers: We promoted our hotels in Makkah and Madinah, focusing on the offer message, complimentary railway tickets, and proximity to religious sites.

• In addition, we are offered guests who book direct a 15% discount on food and beverages in both Makkah and Madinah. Since most Umrah travelers visit both cities.

Overall, the campaign was well-executed initiative that is aligned with Hilton's short-term and long-term strategy for Saudi Arabia.

• The campaign was successful in reaching its target audience of travelers from the key source markets.

• The campaign exceeded the set KPI targets in terms of impressions, clicks, visits, and online reservations.

• The campaign strengthened Hilton's partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority for the long run.