Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Tourism Authority Ahmed Al-Khateeb launched the Saudi Winter 2025 program in Riyadh on Sunday. The ceremony was attended by officials of more than 120 private sector partners.

Speaking on the occasion, Al-Khateeb said that the launch of the Saudi Winter 2025 program represents a new opportunity to enhance Saudi Arabia's position as a global tourism destination during the winter season. “The program will build on and enhance the achievements of the past five years in the tourism sector, particularly in terms of growing visitor numbers and spending volume, in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and achieving the target of receiving 150 million tourists by 2030,” he said.

For his part, Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and board member of the Saudi Tourism Authority, said: "We are pleased today to announce the official launch of Saudi Winter, alongside our partners in the public and private sectors. Tourists from within Saudi Arabia and around the world will witness the launch of a wide range of innovative products and offers, including global events and unique experiences,” he said, adding, “during this winter, we aspire to strengthen partnerships with the private sector through the unified platform for Saudi Winter offers, which will contribute to stimulating spending and attracting more tourists from around the world."

The launching event witnessed a comprehensive overview of the program's key features under the slogan "Winter Live." The event announced the exceptional events schedule. It unveiled major tourism seasons and distinctive activities that will be held across various Saudi Winter destinations, such as the Riyadh Season, Diriyah Season, AlUla Season, and Khobar Season. The event also highlighted the products, attractions, and cultural activities that will form an important pillar of the experience for visitors and tourists from targeted regional and international markets.

The Saudi Winter program will run through until the end of the first quarter of 2026 and includes several phases with the launch of more than 1,200 tourism products and over 600 special offers in a number of major destinations, namely: Riyadh, Diriyah, Jeddah, Al-Ula, the Red Sea, and the Eastern Province, in addition to other unique destinations including Al-Qassim, Hail, and Madinah, which reflects the natural, climatic, and cultural diversity that abounds in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Winter program will see several new tourism products, including concerts, cultural and theatrical performances, poetry evenings, family and beach activities in the Khobar Season, the Nabd AlUla Festival, the World Rally Championship, and powerboat races in Jeddah. In addition, there will be a special activation in cooperation with MrBeast and the WWE Royal Rumble event within the Riyadh Season events, along with other distinguished events.