Visitor Experience for Saudi Tourism Authority

As part of the it’s Vision 2030, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aims to be one of the top tourist destinations in the world. I had the opportunity to be part of the team advising the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) on multiple aspects of this transformation that touched on all aspects of a tourist’s experience in KSA.

Here are the key contributions I made to the project:

Design of a physical innovation lab

I provided recommendations for the design and establishment of a national headquarters for the STA’s tourism operations. This innovation lab aimed to serve as a hub for promoting innovative approaches and initiatives in the tourism industry, and served as a template for creating more such ideation+operation spaces for the STA.

Downtown heritage area transformation

I developed a comprehensive training program to enhance the friendliness and warmth of tourist-facing frontline staff. This involved conducting research and recommending loyalty rewards and incentives by benchmarking best-in-class training programs from renowned hospitality and client servicing companies such as Disney, Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels, Marriott Hotels, and Ritz-Carlton Hotels.

Experience platform ideation and design

I was responsible for the ideation and design of a platform that enables experience providers and tour guides in Saudi Arabia to pitch unique ideas for experiences. The platform would utilize a Kickstarter-like model for funding and allow visitors to browse and book these curated experiences through a dedicated app or website.

Stakeholder workshops

I conducted workshops with C-suite executives and government stakeholders to shape the vision of the tourism experiences we were designing and recommending. These collaborative sessions allowed us to align the stakeholders’ perspectives, incorporate their insights, and ensure the recommendations aligned with their expectations.

Development of visitor experience frameworks

I developed new frameworks to maximize the quality of the visitor experience in Saudi Arabia. These frameworks aimed to provide guidelines and standards for ensuring memorable and exceptional experiences for tourists across various touchpoints.

Impact

Throughout the project, I worked diligently to deliver more than 50 slide decks of valuable information, insights, and recommendations that supported the goals of the Saudi Tourism Authority and contributed to the realisation of the Saudi Vision 2030.

A lot of the work I have done on this project is under NDA and as such can not be discussed, but I will be happy to talk about it in a compliant manner over a call.