Saudi Arabia has stepped up its efforts to establish itself as a leading global tourism and aviation centre, announcing plans for several new airlines entering the market as part of the overall effort by the kingdom to promote international and religious travel.
The establishment of Riyadh Air as the second national airline of Saudi Arabia represents a landmark change in the nation’s aviation goals and provides direct competition to other established Middle Eastern carriers such as Qatar Airways and Emirates. This decision comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to accelerate its strategy of diversifying the economy and strengthening the tourism sector to create new economic growth opportunities.
Since opening up to leisure tourists from around the world, this kingdom has seen growth in the number of visitors due to interest in its rich heritage, natural beauty, and religious significance. It is predicted that expanding air service will facilitate increased access to additional locations across the country and create greater ease of travel for both visitors and businesspeople.
Many millions of people travel annually to Mecca and Medina for pilgrimage purposes (Hajj and Umrah), and a new airline being developed in Medina will specifically serve this growing market. It is anticipated that the new airline will provide additional non-stop services to the religious capital of the world and alleviate congestion from the airport at Jeddah, which has historically been the primary entry point for pilgrims.
As part of the Kingdom’s long-term vision for the future, it is expected that by 2025, the Kingdom will experience an increase in passenger volume as a result of increased traffic across the Kingdom due to the expansion of airlines’ networks and the creation of new airlines.
As a result, travellers, whether in pilgrimage, leisure travel or business, will benefit from improved access to cities and recreational destinations throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, thereby strengthening the Kingdom’s increasing position in the global travel industry.
