Discovery Saudi Targets Global Growth with Multi-Country Gulf Tours, Stronger Travel Trade Partnerships and Vision 2030

Written By: Debomita Dutta

Debomita Dutta

As a debater, researcher and writer I have always been passionate about making complex global developments accessible, accurate and impactful. It has always been my aim to combine a strong analytic approach with incredible storytelling - and here at Travel and Tour World I get to do just that! Bridging research, public discourse and meaningful communication through informed and engaging narratives.

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September 12, 2026 16:28 GMT+5:30

Discovery Saudi is placing international expansion, multi-country Gulf itineraries and stronger travel trade partnerships at the centre of its growth strategy as Saudi Arabia continues to develop its tourism sector under Vision 2030. Speaking exclusively to Raghad Ali, Correspondent from Travel and Tour World, reporting live from WTM Riyadh 2026, held from 8–10 September 2026 in Riyadh, Jack Farraj, Managing Director of Discovery Saudi, outlined how the company is using decades of regional destination-management experience to strengthen its presence in the Kingdom and introduce Saudi travel experiences to more international markets.

During the exclusive interview with Raghad Ali, Correspondent from Travel and Tour World, Farraj discussed Discovery Saudi’s approach to Saudi tourism, its experience across Jordan and the UAE, growing opportunities for combined Gulf itineraries, relationships with international tour operators, partnerships with hotels and transport providers, support for local communities and the company’s longer-term preparations for tourism growth linked to Vision 2030.

WTM Riyadh 2026 Strengthens Discovery Saudi’s International Trade Engagement

WTM Riyadh 2026 provided Discovery Saudi with an opportunity to meet local tourism suppliers as well as international tour operators looking for new products across Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf.

Farraj described the event as an important platform for presenting the company’s existing services while discussing future business opportunities with partners.

The company is also using such travel trade gatherings to exchange ideas about how Saudi tourism products can be marketed internationally.

For Discovery Saudi, direct engagement with tour operators and local service providers helps connect destination development with the companies that ultimately package, sell and deliver travel experiences to customers around the world.

Saudi Arabia Becomes a Major Pillar of Discovery Saudi’s Regional Strategy

Saudi Arabia is becoming an increasingly important part of Discovery Saudi’s regional destination-management operations.

Farraj explained that the company is drawing on experience developed across Jordan and the UAE as it expands further within the Kingdom.

That background gives Discovery Saudi a regional operating model rather than one based on a single destination.

The company can use knowledge gained from handling travellers in neighbouring markets to design programmes suited to Saudi Arabia while also linking the Kingdom with other Middle Eastern destinations.

This regional approach is central to Discovery Saudi’s strategy as international travellers increasingly look for broader itineraries that can combine several countries within one journey.

Multi-Country Gulf Tours Open New Opportunities for International Travellers

Combined itineraries are one of the strongest themes in Discovery Saudi’s current tourism strategy.

Farraj highlighted opportunities to create programmes linking Saudi Arabia with Jordan, the UAE and Bahrain, allowing international travellers to experience several destinations during the same trip.

Possible combinations include Jordan and Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as programmes connecting the Kingdom with Bahrain.

Discovery Saudi sees these multi-country Gulf tours as a way to make regional travel more flexible while giving international tour operators additional products to sell.

The approach can also encourage travellers to spend more time exploring the wider Middle East rather than treating individual countries as separate holidays.

Regional Experience Supports Complex Ground Logistics

Discovery Saudi’s regional presence also gives the company the ability to manage more complicated journeys involving several destinations.

Farraj referred to plans involving a delegation from the United States travelling across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, with the company supporting ground logistics across the three markets.

Such programmes require coordination between accommodation, transport, local services and destination partners.

Discovery Saudi’s model is designed to bring those elements together within a single regional itinerary.

For international buyers, that can simplify the process of arranging multi-country travel by reducing the number of separate operational relationships needed to deliver a complete programme across the Gulf.

UK, Italy and US Tour Operators Remain Important Global Partners

International tour operator relationships form another major part of Discovery Saudi’s growth strategy.

Farraj pointed to established partnerships with travel companies in markets including Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.

These relationships allow Discovery Saudi to work directly with operators that already understand the preferences and expectations of travellers within their respective markets.

The company can then design itineraries, experiences and ground programmes around those requirements.

For Saudi Arabia, those trade relationships provide an important route into established international source markets.

They also give Discovery Saudi a network through which new Saudi and Gulf tourism products can be introduced to travellers outside the region.

Local Communities Form Part of Discovery Saudi’s Tourism Model

Discovery Saudi is also looking beyond conventional sightseeing when developing regional tourism programmes.

Farraj emphasised that itineraries should not focus only on attractions but should also consider local people and the communities travellers encounter.

The company wants tourism activity to create opportunities for local communities while allowing visitors to gain a stronger understanding of the destinations they are exploring.

This approach gives local experiences a more prominent role within tour design.

For international travellers, community interaction can add greater depth to a journey.

For destinations, it can help spread tourism benefits beyond hotels and major attractions by connecting visitor spending with local businesses, services and experiences.

Hotel Partnerships Support End-to-End Travel Experiences

Accommodation partnerships are another important component of Discovery Saudi’s destination-management model.

Farraj said the wider group has developed relationships with major international hotel brands through its activities in different countries across the region.

Those existing relationships have helped the company build hotel partnerships as it expands its Saudi operations.

Strong accommodation agreements can be particularly important for tour operators managing groups, delegations and structured itineraries.

They allow a destination-management company to combine hotels with transport, activities and other services within a coordinated programme.

For Discovery Saudi, these commercial relationships support its ambition to provide international partners with a more complete end-to-end travel solution in the Kingdom.

Airlines and Transport Providers Strengthen Saudi Ground Handling

Hotels are only one element of the operational network Discovery Saudi is building.

Farraj also highlighted cooperation with transportation providers, airline companies and other local service businesses.

These relationships help the company coordinate the different parts of a traveller’s journey, from arrival and accommodation to transfers and movement between destinations.

The importance becomes greater when itineraries extend beyond one country.

A Saudi Arabia-UAE or Saudi Arabia-Bahrain programme requires multiple travel components to work together smoothly.

Discovery Saudi’s regional approach therefore depends on maintaining reliable relationships across the tourism supply chain while giving international partners one point of coordination for complex itineraries.

Vision 2030 Shapes Discovery Saudi’s Long-Term Tourism Planning

Vision 2030 sits prominently within Discovery Saudi’s long-term thinking.

Farraj said the company is already planning ahead for the period leading towards 2030 and is developing new ideas and programmes that can be presented to travel partners around the world.

The strategy is not limited to responding to existing visitor demand.

Discovery Saudi wants to prepare products and partnerships before future opportunities fully emerge.

This reflects the company’s wider operating philosophy of planning several years ahead when entering or expanding within regional markets.

For Saudi Arabia, that means building international distribution relationships, tourism programmes and operational capacity alongside the Kingdom’s wider tourism transformation.

New International Source Markets Move onto Discovery Saudi’s Radar

Discovery Saudi is also looking beyond markets where it already has established tourism relationships.

Farraj said the company has identified additional international markets that it wants to target as it broadens awareness of Saudi tourism.

The objective is to introduce the Kingdom’s experiences to travel partners and customers who may not yet be familiar with what Saudi Arabia can offer.

Building confidence among overseas tour operators will form an important part of that process.

Once international trade partners understand the destination and trust the local operator handling their customers, they can become an important channel for generating repeat tourism demand.

That makes market development a long-term relationship-building exercise rather than simply a promotional campaign.

Discovery Saudi Uses Regional Expansion Experience to Plan Ahead

Long-term planning has played a recurring role in the company’s development.

Farraj recalled how its regional operations began in Jordan before expanding into the UAE and later Saudi Arabia.

He explained that the business has historically prepared for new markets ahead of expansion rather than waiting for demand to develop first.

That same philosophy is now being applied to Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom represents not only another destination within the company’s portfolio but an opportunity to connect existing Middle Eastern operations with a rapidly developing tourism market.

Discovery Saudi’s regional footprint allows it to use past experience while creating new products specifically suited to the Kingdom’s international tourism ambitions.

Multi-Country Tours and Trade Partnerships Define Discovery Saudi’s Vision 2030 Opportunity

Throughout the interview, Farraj presented Discovery Saudi’s Saudi Arabia strategy as part of a wider regional tourism model rather than an isolated market expansion.

The company is using its experience in Jordan and the UAE to build multi-country Gulf tours, strengthen relationships with international operators and coordinate hotels, airlines, transport companies and local tourism suppliers.

Italy, the UK and the US already provide important trade relationships, while new source markets are being targeted for future growth.

With Vision 2030 shaping long-term planning, Discovery Saudi is positioning cross-border itineraries, international travel trade partnerships and locally connected tourism experiences as key components of its next stage of expansion.

This article is based exclusively on an interview conducted by Raghad Ali, Correspondent from Travel and Tour World, with Jack Farraj, Managing Director of Discovery Saudi, at WTM Riyadh 2026, held from 8–10 September 2026 in Riyadh. All information reflects statements made during the interview.