More than 200 of Saudi Arabia’s travel industry leaders gathered at an awards ceremony hosted by Travelport at the Jeddah Hilton recently.
Travelport, a leading travel commerce platform, provides distribution, technology, payment and other solutions.
The award shows, the first of their kind in Saudi Arabia, were also staged in Riyadh and Dammam.
As Saudi Arabia’s travel and tourism industry is increasingly in the spotlight as a driving sector for growth, the event provided a networking platform for the travel industry’s stakeholders and key opinion leaders.
Saudi Arabia leads the Middle East region in terms of Internet penetration and e-commerce is a thriving industry in the Kingdom.
Online travel sales have been growing faster than offline sales.
Internet penetration is high and growing in Saudi Arabia and the population is becoming more aware and receptive to the idea of making purchases online.
Mobile travel sales are also growing fueled by the growth of digital devices.
Rabih Saab, president and managing director of Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, said: “The Saudi travel and tourism industry is on the rise and we are very proud of our partnerships in the region.”
He added: “While uncertainty is a theme in the global economy in 2017, demand for international tourism remains high.”
He said: “Travelport sits at the heart of the travel industry and with Saudi tourism revenues predicted to reach $81 billion by 2026, we are committed to supporting the industry players to develop their businesses and meet traveler demands.”

Source: Arab News