Riyadh: The Saudi Tourism Authority has entered into a partnership agreement with India's most popular cricket league in order to capitalise on both countries' strong sports fan bases and promote the Kingdom as a top destination for Indian visitors.
India has emerged as Saudi Arabia's key tourism source market in the last two years, and it is expected to become the largest by 2030, as the STA's efforts are focused on building relationships with Indian industry stakeholders.
The cricket partnership signed on Tuesday evening between the authority and the Indian Premier League aims to increase the Kingdom's appeal in the south Asian country. The STA will be an official sponsor of the IPL, the world's most-watched cricket league, which is a men's Twenty20 franchise.
"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the IPL because we know how important cricket is to our visitors from South Asia," said Alhasan Al-Dabbagh, the STA's Asia Pacific chief, in a statement.
"Through our partnership with the IPL, we aim to increase Saudi Arabia's presence and appeal in the Indian and south Asian markets. We are excited to show prospective south Asian visitors why they should consider Saudi Arabia not only as a vacation destination, but also as a viable sports destination, as we host major sports and entertainment events such as Formula One, WWE, and the Spanish Super Cup."
The collaboration comes on the heels of the STA's other recent promotion programmes in India, which included a successful tourism roadshow and participation in a series of travel and trade events across the country earlier this month, including the One World Travel Market in Mumbai and the South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange — Asia's leading platform for the tourism and hospitality industry.
The promotion strategy and cricket partnership were met with immediate interest in both the sports and tourism industries.
"The IPL partnership is a powerful channel to engage with its vast audience and support the Saudi Tourism Authority's objective of creating brand awareness in India as well as among fans from around the world," Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said during the IPL announcement.
"We hope that through this partnership, we can inspire and grow the Saudi cricket fanbase, as well as create exciting opportunities for them to engage with the game in collaboration with STA."
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The partnership, according to Jay Shah, the board's secretary, will help position Saudi Arabia as the leading tourism and sports destination.
It's an exciting prospect for us that the Saudi Tourism Authority believes so strongly in the power of the IPL to bring countries together.
"This collaboration will expand opportunities for cricket in Saudi Arabia and strengthen the sport in the region," he added.
Cricket matches have been held in Saudi Arabia since the 1960s, when the game was introduced by Pakistani and Indian expatriates. The sport became more structured over time, and local clubs began to form.
The Kingdom joined the International Cricket Council as an affiliate member in 2003 and was promoted to associate membership in 2016.
The game's real boom, however, began only recently, with the establishment of the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation in 2020, which has since planned a series of programmes to promote the sport at home and prepare national teams to compete with the best in the world in the future.
The inclusion of cricket in the country's promotion was expected to strengthen Saudi-Indian ties.
"It's fantastic news for Saudi Arabia and India," said Elodie Azar, deputy general manager of Saudi tour operator Kurban Tours.
"I feel that sport is a way to engage the young generation. This will aid in the promotion of Saudi Arabia as a leisure and tourism destination. This will also help to connect with many cricket fans around the world, paving the way for Saudi Arabia to become a destination for sports fans in addition to tourism and business."
It was also expected to help forge people-to-people relationships that would underpin economic and political partnerships.
"For India and Saudi Arabia, developing people-to-people ties is critical," said Mohammed Soliman, strategic technologies director at the Middle East Institute in Washington.
"It is part of a larger trend of West Asian economic and political integration."
The cricket partnership, according to Muddassir Quamar, a Middle East expert and fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, is a "defining moment" in Saudi-Indian relations.
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There is a strong push in the Kingdom to bring mega sporting and recreational events inside Saudi Arabia, and this collaboration can be one step towards that, he told Arab News.
The appetite for sports investments in the Kingdom is enormous, and the potential for collaboration with Indian entities is enormous.