The Royal Commission of AlUla (RCU) launched its first Travel Agent Training Program and Trade Information Hub, ‘AlUla Specialist,’ at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Wednesday.
The training platform will facilitate global travel agents to learn, market, and sell trips to the ancient city of AlUla, located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, aiming to drive more awareness to AlUla as a new and unexplored cultural heritage site in the region.
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The course offers five training modules, available in both English and Arabic, which include: Introduction to the destination of AlUla; the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra, Dadan and Jabal Ikmah; AlUla Old Town and Oasis; and Nature and Adventure attractions.
Other features of the platform include a trade toolkit where agents can download factsheets, brochures, visitor guides, video and training webinars, trade rewards and incentives, as well as regular news and updates about the city and its upcoming events.
“With AlUla Specialist we have developed what we hope is best in class programming to support our global network of valued trade partners. AlUla is an incredibly rich and inspiring destination and we look forward to introducing AlUla to our trade partners, first digitally and then in person,” the RCU’s Chief Destination Management and Marketing Officer Phillip Jones said.
“We need to train and prepare the next generation of tourism professionals who we know we can trust to provide an on-demand expertise to travelers and industry partners as we concentrate our efforts to attract 180,000 visitors by the end of this year and 250,000 visitors in 2023,” Jones added.
Some key announcements from AlUla at the Dubai event this year included its new events calendar spanning 2022 and 2023, new accommodation launches including an eco-lodge hotel, and summer activities and promotions.
AlUla, which is over 200 thousand years old, is emerging as one of the region’s new up-and-coming destinations, attracting travelers from all over the world. After officially opening up to the world just last year, it has since expanded its flight services, partnering with various local and international airlines to secure flight routes to the area.
In an interview with Al Arabiya English on Tuesday, the RCU’s Executive Director of Destination Marketing Melanie De Souza said that the city welcomed 146,000 visitors in 2021 alone.
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