World Tourism Day 2026: How AI is transforming Saudi Arabia’s tourism experience
- Saudi Arabia is leveraging AI to enhance the tourism experience as it aims for 150 million annual visits by 2030.
- The Nusuk AI assistant, used for religious tourism, supports over 180 languages and has assisted more than 2 million users to navigate and reduce uncertainty during pilgrimages.
- AI-powered tools, like the Digital Mutawwif, facilitate crowd management and improve the flow of pilgrimages by providing real-time information on circuits and crowd dynamics.
- The Saudi Tourism Authority introduced SARA, an AI digital assistant, to help leisure travelers with personalized destination recommendations long before their arrivals.
- Companies like Almosafer Travel are revolutionizing travel planning using AI in local context, enhancing traveler awareness and accessibility to lesser-known sites in Saudi Arabia.
- The Kingdom's unique opportunity lies in embedding AI in its tourism infrastructure from the beginning, avoiding the constraints of outdated technology.
