The Indian customers are at all times keen on experiencing new locations, and AlUla is the latest gem in Saudi Arabia. With the pandemic nonetheless affecting journey all over the world, AlUla’s huge open areas and strict well being and security measures make it a secure and inspirational choice for vacationers, say Beena Menon & Huzan Fraser Motivala, India Consultant, Royal Fee of AlUla in dialog with TravelBiz Monitor.
Beena Menon & Huzan Fraser Motivala
What makes you to embark on the primary ever vacation spot model marketing campaign for AlUla at this level of time for the home Saudi market?
The primary ever vacation spot model marketing campaign for AlUla, the heritage and cultural centerpiece of Saudi Arabia, was unveiled lately. The brand new marketing campaign, AlUla – The World’s Masterpiece will assist to realize, Royal Fee of AlUla’s (RCU) customer projections of 90,000 for 2021 and 130,000 for 2022. Whereas the marketing campaign is aimed on the home market, RCU expects it to have some natural attain digitally in worldwide markets. In what’s hoped shall be a yr of journey restoration, AlUla’s new model marketing campaign is geared toward deepening the Kingdom’s delight and affection for AlUla in addition to in the end rising intention to go to.
Please throw some mild on AlUla and its significance for attracting vacationer.
Positioned within the North Western area of Saudi Arabia, AlUla is dwelling to a sequence of fascinating historic and archaeological websites. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz has a imaginative and prescient to show AlUla County right into a dwelling museum, creating recollections that guests will share with the world. AlUla is a spot of wealthy pure, human and cultural heritage courting again to 200,000 years of largely unexplored human historical past. Right here one can expertise over 7,000 years of human civilisation. AlUla is present process a cautious and delicate restoration to prepared itself for modern-day friends. The 4 key pillars of AlUla are Heritage, Journey, Artwork & Tradition and Nature. AlUla has 4 important heritage websites – Hegra and Hijaz Railway Station, Dadan, Jabal Ikmah and the Previous City of AlUla. With a spotlight firmly on conservation and light-touch tourism experiences, AlUla is about to be a must-visit tradition and heritage vacation spot. AlUla’s broad vary of distinctive out of doors adventures and actions has been impressed by the historical past and heritage of the area.
AlUla has a number of distinctive lodging choices from luxurious desert resorts such Sahary and Shaden, self-catered RVs, globally famend manufacturers comparable to Banyan Tree and Aman Resorts.
AlUla is dwelling to Winter at Tantora (WAT), an exhilarating pageant which occurred between December and March in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. AlUla’s wealthy historical past was on full show through the iconic pageant. Held within the Previous City of AlUla, WAT was a three-month luxurious pageant spanning sport, music, meals, heritage, and trendy artwork. WAT additionally consists of experiences like scorching air ballooning, classic plane rides, artwork installations, desert polo and journey. The spotlight of the pageant was the world-class musical performances comparable to Lionel Richie, Enrique, Andrea Bocelli and Yanni.
When can we count on an analogous marketing campaign to be rolled out for the Indian market?
When the time is true and borders open, we are going to have a look at launching a marketing campaign for the Indian market to create consciousness and promote the vacation spot.
When it comes to commerce and media outreach, what are a few of the actions chalked out?
AlUla provides an thrilling cultural, inventive journey with its wealthy archaeology and heritage that kind an essential side of its character. Being a brand new vacation spot out there and given the backdrop of the pandemic, we are going to work intently with journey commerce to create consciousness and curiosity in AlUla, and drive visitation. We’ll work with the commerce to advertise AlUla and develop stand-alone itineraries in addition to itineraries mixed with different locations within the area. We’ll conduct trainings, organise webinars and take part in key journey commerce reveals in India. As soon as the borders open we are going to implement roadshows, journey commerce familiarisation and joint promotions with main journey companies, which shall be vital to AlUla’s success out there.
By means of our advertising outreach programme, we intention to tie up with main publications, have a sturdy media familiarisation journey programme and create bespoke media occasions. Our Marcom programme may also embody working with a content material creator/movie star/influencer for a digital influencer programme to harness the ability of an influential movie star to launch and promote AlUla. We may also spend money on a social media marketing campaign throughout distinguished channels like Fb, Twitter and Instagram to showcase our iconic points of interest and particular promotions. Our shopper promotions will embody tying up with prestigious international manufacturers to create consciousness of the important thing choices of AlUla.
Saudi Arabia is a comparatively new marketplace for tourism. How aggressive is your method going to be?
The RCU has pushed ahead efforts to develop AlUla right into a pre-eminent international vacationer vacation spot since 2017, and within the course of is turning into a sector chief within the tourism pillar of Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030. RCU has demonstrated its pedigree by unlocking the potential of AlUla as a high-profile rising vacationer vacation spot in Saudi Arabia. AlUla goals to draw 2 million visits, leading to SAR 120 billion in cumulative GDP affect and 38,000 jobs by 2035. AlUla is the primary of the numerous Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030 initiatives to welcome guests, having re-opened key heritage websites to guests in October 2020 as a brand new year-round vacation spot.
Lovely Planet Vacation spot Advertising has been appointed by RCU as their India Consultant to deal with the Marcom and journey commerce actions, and launch and promote the vacation spot in India. AlUla is a spot of extraordinary human and pure heritage. AlUla is a brand new vacation spot and residential to a number of well-preserved heritage websites that lend themselves to immersive journey. AlUla has a geographical benefit being in shut proximity to vacationer locations comparable to Jordan, Turkey and Dubai, and subsequently brokers can mix AlUla whereas visiting any of those locations. We count on as quickly as borders open, AlUla shall be an fascinating vacation vacation spot to discover. AlUla is a dwelling, respiratory, open-air museum, filled with awe-inspiring heritage websites and pure wonders, in addition to infinite methods to discover. There’s a nice potential to advertise tourism from India to AlUla. The Indian customers are at all times keen on expertise new locations and AlUla is the latest gem in Saudi Arabia. With the pandemic nonetheless affecting journey all over the world, AlUla’s huge open areas and strict well being and security measures make it a secure and inspirational choice for vacationers. AlUla’s heritage websites at the moment are open as a year-round expertise. For mushy journey fanatic, AlUla has journey actions like scorching air balloon, biking, mountain climbing, ziplining, one can even go on classic plane rides.
In addition to the leisure traveller, AlUla shall be an ideal vacation spot for MICE travellers. Maraya is a world-class leisure and conferences venue. It is without doubt one of the world’s architectural wonders; a complete of 9,740 sq. meters of mirrors covers the outside partitions of the cube-shaped construction reflecting the desert environment of AlUla. AlUla shall be an ideal place for vacation spot weddings. AlUla has superb resorts to host distinctive vacation spot weddings.
Quick flying time and simple connections to main cities of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Indian cities with Indian carriers comparable to Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet shall be a bonus. We shall be Tier-I cities together with Mumbai and Delhi; Tier-II cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi. Saudi Arabia is the non secular birthplace of Islam, and India being a rustic with the second largest Islamic inhabitants on the earth, we shall be concentrating on cities with excessive focus for Umrah. Pilgrimage travellers can prolong their keep in AlUla and membership spiritual tour with leisure expertise.
Q. That are the international locations presently in your radar for AlUla?
AlUla has opened its workplaces for tourism internationally within the USA, Asia, EU, Australia and China. We shall be working very intently with the Saudi Tourism Authority to advertise AlUla which would be the hero product for Saudi Arabia.