Friday, July 11, 2025
Saudi Arabia is taking decisive steps to accelerate the growth of its tourism sector with the launch of three groundbreaking initiatives designed to foster innovation, attract investment, and nurture the development of emerging businesses. These initiatives, introduced by the Tourism Development Fund (TDF), are aimed at empowering early-stage tourism ventures and enhancing the country’s tourism landscape in line with its Vision 2030 objectives. The initiatives include the Grow Tourism Incubator, Tourism Hackathons and Bootcamps, and the Grow Tourism Accelerator, all facilitated through the TDF Grow platform, which offers non-financial support to entrepreneurs.
These strategic steps come in the bigger context of Saudi’s drive to diversify its economy away from its dependence on petroleum, in line with the Vision 2030, whose goals for development in many sectors, including tourism, are lofty. The National Tourism Strategy has identified 150 million tourists annually by 2030 for the Kingdom, more than twice the 100 million it initially estimated. Indeed, Saudi surpassed the mark before schedule, bringing 116 million tourists in the year 2024—an extraordinary achievement for the second consecutive time the Kingdom has exceeded its tourism estimates.
The Grow Tourism Incubator is one of the strategic pillars behind this initiative, providing early-stage tourism startups with an exclusive opportunity. The 10-month intensive program would enable entrepreneurs to transform innovative concepts into successfully operating enterprises. The participants will be able to access shared office space, in addition to essential technical, legal, marketing, and logistical expertise. The participants will also have the opportunity to access specialized workshops and be mentored by industry experts. The incubator is available to entrepreneurs from all over the Kingdom, and the first edition is now taking registrations from June 24 to July 17.
Aside from the incubator, the initiative for the Tourism Hackathons and Bootcamps will provide incentives to innovators in three priority areas, including the Asir, Al-Ahsa, and Madinah areas. The five-month project lets participants attend hackathons from which they proceed for intensive training in the bootcamps. The initiative will help innovators transform ideas they have to tangible and implementable prototypes. The application for the initiative is available until July 22, and prospective tourism entrepreneurs will have the chance to take their project to the next level.
The third initiative, the Grow Tourism Accelerator, builds on the success of earlier cohorts and provides advanced support for startups that are ready to scale. This three-month accelerator program has already graduated 99 participants and offers integrated mentorship, training, and resources to help businesses grow within the competitive tourism industry. In addition to local support, the program attracts international companies, enriching Saudi Arabia’s investment landscape and improving the quality of services within the tourism sector. The program culminates in graduation, with participants having the opportunity to connect with potential investors and business partners.
To date, these efforts have benefited more than 8,800 beneficiaries in assisting entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses increase competitiveness and speed up growth in the tourism sector. The non-financial assistance from these initiatives aims to provide businesses with the means to overcome obstacles, expand operations, and help the Kingdom achieve its tourism objectives.
These initiatives are not only to spur innovation and to inspire entrepreneurs but also play an integral part in Saudi’s larger initiative to achieve a sustainable, diversified tourism sector. With its global tourists count increasing at a very high pace and ambitious 2030 objectives, Saudi is attempting to be a leading player in the global tourism sector. The Grow Tourism initiatives are helping in the creation of the enabling environment where entrepreneurs thrive, paving the way to tourism’s future contribution to the diversification of the Kingdom and development of the economy. The announcement of these programs reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to the creation of a thriving tourism sector in line with the objectives of Vision 2030, to make the Kingdom one of the world’s top tourism destinations with diverse offerings and innovative experiences.
