VisitBritain opens Riyadh office
VisitBritain has opened a new office in Riyadh to attract more visitors from Saudi Arabia.
It is the first Western tourism board to establish a presence in the country. Ԭլ
It has also appointed Saudi national Badr Almandeel as VisitBritain Country Representative.
British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Simon Collis said:
VisitBritain chief executive Sally Balcombe said: "The new office in Riyadh will see us engage more effectively with potential visitors to Britain, converting aspiration to visit into bookings and inspiring more Saudi Arabians to book a trip now to come and explore our nations and regions.
"And with the UK offering excellent value at the moment, particularly for luxury goods, it is a great time to come to Britain."
As of the end of January 2017, Britain was 14% cheaper for visitors from Saudi Arabia compared with the same month in 2016.
The appointment comes after a campaign was launched with Al Tayyar Travel Group Holding Company designed to promote London, Manchester and Edinburgh.
The campaign will offer exclusive summer family travel packages to the UK and will offer Saudi travellers an exclusive upgrade to their visa processing through UK Visa and Immigration.
Saudi Arabians spend on average £3,769 per visit, more than six times the average for all markets.
They also stay longer than other international visitors with an average length of stay of 18 nights, compared to an average of 8 nights for all markets.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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