Saudi Arabia unveils new initiative for local travel trade partners

Saudi Arabia unveils new initiative for local travel trade partners

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has launched Tourism Shapers, a new initiative to support the learning and development of local travel trade partners in the tourism private sector.As Saudi continues to develop its destination offering for local, regional and international audiences, it is now more important than ever to enable and empower the private sector."Businesses are beginning to think differently about the future, recognizing the immense growth opportunities within the tourism sector and how they must adapt, evolve and innovate to meet the needs of their customer," he added.Hamidaddin pointed out that Tourism Shapers aims to not only support the growth of the tourism ecosystem, but also inspire small-to-medium sized businesses in Saudi to recognize the opportunities within the industry, so they can grow their business and their livelihood.The first-of-its-kind initiative began with a series of monthly interactive webinars. Each session focuses on a different topic, designed to equip the audience with best practices, key insights, and information to keep them informed on the tourism industry's constant evolution, he noted. The first webinar, 'The Future of Travel and Tourism', brought together thought leaders Noor Nugali, Assistant Editor-in-Chief, Arab News, travel expert and founder of start-up enabler, Why Bolt, Aya Sadder,