Increasing Locals' Interest in Tourism. Case: Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Due to a recent drop of oil prices, Saudi Arabia (SA) realised the necessity to change its oil-based economy to a more diverse economy. The country’s Vision 2030 chose tourism as one way to do so. However, studies have shown a lack of interest and awareness towards tourism from the local population. This thesis was commissioned by Haya Tour, a Destination Management Company, based in Riyadh.

This study aims to increase awareness regarding the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia. It gives clues on how to create an attractive image of the field in Saudi’s society in order to attract more people in the tourism process.

Semi-Structured interviews were conducted with four tourism students from Saudi Arabia, to understand their motivations to study tourism and identify solutions to improve the interest given to the tourism industry. The results indicate that Saudis tend to have a negative image of tourism, which could be improved by educating locals about tourism and implementing actions to attract more people in taking part to the tourism field.