On May 22, 2025, Saudi Arabia unveiled a groundbreaking initiative called TOURISE, a global platform aimed at revolutionizing the tourism sector through a powerful partnership between public and private entities. Launched by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, this initiative is designed to shape the future of tourism over the next 50 years by fostering collaboration, innovation, and sustainability. The announcement, made during a virtual press conference in Riyadh attended by journalists worldwide, marks a significant step in positioning Saudi Arabia as a global tourism hub. Below, we explore the key aspects of this initiative and its implications for the global tourism landscape.
The TOURISE platform is a bold new initiative that seeks to create a collaborative framework uniting public and private sectors to address the evolving challenges and opportunities in global tourism. Unlike traditional tourism conferences, TOURISE is structured for year-round impact through digital collaboration, thematic working groups, and cross-sector partnerships. It aims to set new benchmarks for the tourism industry by focusing on sustainability, technological innovation, and inclusive growth.
The platform is guided by a high-profile global advisory board comprising titans of the global tourism sector, including leaders from organizations like the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Cirque du Soleil, Amadeus, and Heathrow Airport. This board will steer TOURISE toward delivering practical, visible, and permanent solutions to global tourism challenges, such as climate change, technological disruptions, and shifting traveler preferences.
The TOURISE Summit, scheduled for November 11–13, 2025, in Riyadh, will be an invite-only event that brings together leaders from tourism, technology, investment, and sustainability sectors. The summit, which will also be livestreamed, will focus on four core themes:
| Theme | Focus |
|---|---|
| The Future of AI-Powered Tourism | Leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance tourism experiences. |
| The Great Tourism Reset | Exploring disruptive business models and investment opportunities. |
| Rebooting the Travel Experience | Enhancing travel through innovative technologies and services. |
| Tourism that Works | Promoting sustainable, inclusive, and equitable tourism for people and the planet. |
The summit will also feature an Innovation Zone, showcasing breakthrough technologies in AI, mobility, and sustainability from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and large corporations. Additionally, the TOURISE Awards will be introduced to recognize outstanding achievements in sustainability, digital transformation, inclusive tourism, cultural preservation, and workforce development. Nominations for these awards will open on June 2, 2025, with winners announced on the summit's opening night.
The launch of TOURISE aligns with Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the kingdom’s economy by boosting tourism. In 2024, Saudi Arabia achieved its goal of welcoming 100 million visitors annually, seven years ahead of schedule, with the tourism sector contributing nearly 5% to the national GDP. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) projects that tourism will contribute $11.7 trillion to the global economy in 2025, supporting 371 million jobs worldwide, underscoring the sector’s critical role.
TOURISE addresses the need for a unified global platform to tackle challenges like climate change, technological disruption, and evolving traveler expectations. By fostering collaboration between governments, businesses, and international organizations like the WTTC, UN Tourism, and the World Economic Forum, TOURISE aims to create a resilient, connected, and inclusive tourism ecosystem. As stated by Julia Simpson, WTTC President and CEO, TOURISE is a “critical” and “perfect partner” for driving public-private sector collaboration.
Saudi Arabia’s launch of TOURISE reinforces its position as a key player in the global tourism industry. The kingdom’s investments in projects like NEOM and the Red Sea Project highlight its commitment to sustainable and innovative tourism. With tourism now the second-largest industry after oil, contributing 447 billion Saudi riyals ($122 billion) to the economy in 2025, Saudi Arabia is leveraging TOURISE to attract 50 million international visitors by 2030 and create 3 million jobs in the sector by 2032.
The platform’s emphasis on sustainability and digital transformation aligns with global trends, such as the rise of eco-tourism and technology-driven travel experiences. By hosting the TOURISE Summit alongside the UN Tourism General Assembly in November 2025, Saudi Arabia aims to lead global discussions on the future of tourism, setting a new standard for the industry.
- Launch Date: May 22, 2025
- TOURISE Summit: November 11–13, 2025, in Riyadh (invite-only, livestreamed)
- Objective: Foster public-private partnerships to shape the future of tourism for the next 50 years
- Core Themes: AI-powered tourism, disruptive business models, travel experience enhancement, and sustainable tourism
- TOURISE Awards: To recognize achievements in sustainability, digital transformation, inclusive tourism, cultural preservation, and workforce development (nominations open June 2, 2025)
- Advisory Board: Includes global leaders from WTTC, Cirque du Soleil, Amadeus, and Heathrow Airport
- Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Goals: Attract 50 million international visitors by 2030, create 3 million jobs by 2032
- Economic Impact: Tourism to contribute $11.7 trillion to global GDP in 2025, supporting 371 million jobs worldwide