Diriyah Company, which aims to transform Diriyah into an exquisite cultural tourist destination, will showcase its growing tourist offering at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) running from May 1-4 at Dubai World Trade Centre.
After opening both the historic UNESCO World Heritage Site At-Turaif and the Middle East’s premier fine dining destination Bujairi Terrace in December 2022, Diriyah has begun welcoming tourists from around the world. With 38 confirmed hotel partnerships and an enormous $63.2 billion project pipeline, Diriyah is fast becoming a global leader in tourism and hospitality.
Attendees are invited to meet representatives from Diriyah Company by the Visit Saudi stand in Hall 4 throughout the event. Diriyah Company’s Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo and Chief Marketing Officer Kiran Haslam will also be speaking at panels during the event.
Their contributions will demonstrate Diriyah and Saudi Arabia’s leadership in sustainable development, tourism, and economic growth. Both will provide excellent insights into the formidable efforts underway to harness the power of green growth and tourism, to drive positive change across the sector.
In addition to showcasing its existing assets, the Company is also set invite visitors to come and explore Diriyah and all it has to offer.
Located just 15 minutes from the heart of Riyadh, Diriyah was the site of the founding of the First Saudi State in 1727 and is the ancestral home of the House of Al Saud. At its center stands the UNESCO World Heritage Site of At-Turaif. A magnificent centuries-old mud-brick palace, its traditional Najdi architecture has been the design inspiration for the entire development, connecting it to its past and incorporating local materials into the building process.
A global gathering place for artists, intellectuals, and scholars, Diriyah has been a hub for cultural exchange for almost 300 years and the roots of modern Saudi society can be found in its awe-inspiring story.
Diriyah will be a 14-sq-km mixed-use development, housing hospitality, commercial, retail, and residential offerings, that will conserve and enhance the deeply rooted heritage of the area and provide a quality of life unmatched across the Arabian Peninsula.
Diriyah will add around $7.2 billion to the Kingdom’s GDP, attract 27 million annual visitors, and create 55,000 permanent new jobs. This will support a key ambition of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, to attract 100 million visitors a year and increase tourism’s contribution to the Kingdom’s GDP from 3.2% in 2022 to 10% by the end of the decade.
Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of Diriyah Company, commented: “The tourism sector has become one of the key elements of Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification. Diriyah is playing a major role in this transformation.
“The opening of At-Turaif and the Kingdom’s premier dining district, Bujairi Terrace, were important moments in a new era for Diriyah, the City of Earth, as we begin welcoming visitors to the heart of the Kingdom. We have a rolling masterplan, and we will be announcing and launching ground-breaking assets every year from now until 2030.”
