The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) () 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 Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; born 31 December 1935) has been King of Saudi Arabia since 2015, and was Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. He is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He assumed the thro ...

against the backdrop of the surging

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, it is the official promoter of the Visit Saudi program and supervises tourism-related marketing campaigns domestically and internationally.

History

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) was established on March 10, 2020, through a royal decree issued by

after approval from the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

and upon recommendations from the Council of Economic and Development Affairs. In June 2020, it launched the ''Tanaffasa'' () 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. In December 2020, the body organized the ''Sheeta Haulaka'' () 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. 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. In December 2021, it launched the ''Ruh as-Saudiyah'' programme () that organized events to showcase the

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and heritage of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

and aimed at targeting tourists from the member states of the

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ), is a Regional integration, regional, intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Ba ...

as well as the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

region. In November 2023, a

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

-based travel company,

HIS His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, ...

and the Saudi Tourism Authority signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost tourism in the Kingdom. In November 2023, The Saudi Tourism Authority, along with other Saudi entities, took part in ''Media Oasis'', a Ministry of Media initiative, in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, aims at redefining media coverage by utilizing modern technology in covering national events and global engagements. In 2023, STA via its brand "Visit Saudi" sponsored

LaLiga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

and tried to be a sponsor of the

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's association football, football championship contested by List of women's national association football teams, women's nat ...

, but was dropped after player backlash. In 2024

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...

as Saudi's tourism ambassador, part of the sponsorship deal with STA, in a global launched campaign titled "Go Beyond What You Think", places a spotlight on Saudi's open culture and the importance of inspiring young Saudi women to reach their full potential.

References

{{Reflist Tourism agencies Government ministries of Saudi Arabia 2020 establishments in Saudi Arabia Government agencies established in 2020 Organisations based in Riyadh