By any measure, Saudi Arabia has just dropped a tourism bombshell—and this one isn’t smoke and mirrors. In a world desperate for clarity, unity, and yes, a bit of good old-fashioned vision, the Kingdom has answered the call with TOURISE: a global tourism platform so ambitious, so comprehensive, it might just reset the global tourism clock.
Launched by His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s indefatigable Minister of Tourism, TOURISE promises to be far more than another talkfest. It’s being hailed as a year-round collaborative juggernaut aimed at uniting industry titans and fresh thinkers across public and private sectors—technology buffs, investment hawks, sustainability champions, and cultural custodians under one proverbial roof.
In other words: if you’ve got skin in the tourism game, TOURISE calls your number.
A Stage for Global Titans—and Groundbreakers
Set to premiere in Riyadh from 11–13 November 2025, the invite-only TOURISE Summit will be the proverbial starting gun for what’s poised to be a marathon, not a sprint. The event will showcase four thematic powerhouses:
- The Future of AI-Powered Tourism – Innovate or Fade
- The Great Tourism Reset – Disruptive Business Models & Investment
- Rebooting the Travel Experience – Upgrade in Progress
- Tourism that Works – for People, Planet & Progress
Aptly put, it’s not just about where we go next but how we get there—and whether the map we’ve been using needs to be discarded entirely.
Adding edge to the event is a dedicated Innovation Zone, where technology trailblazers—from fledgling SMEs to mid-sized heavyweights—will flaunt solutions in AI, mobility, climate-conscious travel, and more. It’s not a sideshow—it’s the main stage.
Building a Platform, Not Just an Event
Unlike the parade of annual tourism conferences that float in and out of relevance like driftwood, TOURISE is built for permanence. Its structure enables year-round impact through digital collaboration, thematic working groups, and policy-driving white papers. It aims to create nothing short of a permanent architecture for how tourism evolves globally.
And to ensure that ambition has ballast, TOURISE boasts a heavyweight advisory board. Think the crème de la crème:
- Julia Simpson, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
- Luis Maroto, CEO of Amadeus
- Mo Gawdat, Founder of One Billion Happy
- Stephane Lefebvre, President of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group
- Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Heathrow Airport
- Mario Enzesberger, Founder & CEO of Liberty International Tourism Group
These aren’t names you fish out of a LinkedIn Rolodex. These are visionaries with the scars, stories, and stats to drive real change.
A New Deal-Making Engine
TOURISE isn’t just philosophising about the future—it’s laying the foundations for a new kind of global tourism economy. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the sector will contribute US$11.7 trillion worldwide in 2025. That’s 10.3% of global GDP.
However, as Minister Al-Khateeb eloquently observed during the virtual launch, “Tourism is one of the most dynamic, connective forces in the world’s economy, supporting one in ten jobs globally. But as the world evolves, the sector must, too.”
He says TOURISE is the vehicle to do just that. It will channel unprecedented deal flow, attract high-value investment, and accelerate the adoption of technologies that can scale sustainability and enrich the traveller experience, not water it down.
Celebrating Excellence with the TOURISE Awards
As if TOURISE wasn’t making enough waves, it’s also launching an awards program with bite. The TOURISE Awards will recognise the crème of the global tourism ecosystem—destinations and operators leading in sustainability, digital transformation, inclusivity, cultural preservation and workforce empowerment. Nominations open June 2; winners will be crowned at the Summit’s grand opening night.
A Kingdom on the Move
Let’s not pretend this all came out of nowhere. Saudi Arabia has been quietly—and sometimes not-so-quietly—flexing its tourism muscles. In 2024, the Kingdom clocked 100 million annual visitors, hitting its Vision 2030 target seven years early. Tourism is nearly 5% of the national GDP, second only to the oil sector.
TOURISE isn’t just a cherry on the cake—it’s the next course in an ambitious national banquet. And with backing from global powerhouses like UN Tourism, the World Economic Forum, and WTTC, Saudi Arabia isn’t just placing a bet on tourism’s future—it’s writing the rulebook.
As Julia Simpson put it, “For this industry to evolve and reach its full potential, public-private sector collaboration is critical to the continued success of Travel and tourism worldwide.”
She’s not wrong. And if TOURISE lives up to even half its hype, the global tourism sector is in for a ride.
To register your interest or get involved, visit www.tourise.com.
By Christine Nguyen
