Saudi Arabia-based Seera Group has formed a partnership with Klook to boost the digital transformation and growth of Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector.
The partnership, which was announced at the Arabian Travel Market 2021 in Dubai, sees Seera becoming the exclusive partner of Klook in Saudi Arabia. The two entities will work to create a one-stop digital platform with end-to-end content and inventory management solutions that will support tourism and leisure activity providers in Saudi Arabia and provide a range of product offerings to travellers.
With the partnership, activity providers in the Kingdom will be able to connect with global marketplaces and tour distributors, enabling them to build their business, which will not only drive domestic tourism, but also elevate Saudi Arabia’s footprint on the global tourism map. The platform will also showcase tours and activities operated by Discover Saudi, Seera’s integrated DMC.
Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority, said: “For our partners across the Saudi tourism ecosystem, finding smart ways to connect with travellers enhances their ability to offer unique Arabian experiences to everyone eager to explore the destination.
“This platform will empower our innovators, disruptors and new generation of tourism professionals to reach out to the world, tell their stories and build their businesses.”
Majed Alnefaie, acting CEO of Seera Group, said: “Our partnership with Klook builds on the strong leadership commitment to deliver the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to build the Kingdom’s tourism sector, diversify the economy and create long-term economic value.”
He added: “(The partnership) will address current gaps in the tourism supply chain, particularly, in terms of online content for tours and activities, the limited technological strengths of suppliers and low awareness (among) local and global travellers on the Kingdom’s offering.”
Seera will add value to the partnership by leveraging its extensive knowledge of the Saudi market, as well as localised content creation, including Arabic-first content, and will offer valuable guidance to promote the Kingdom among travellers from around the world.
Further, Almosafer, Seera’s flagship consumer travel brand that offers online travel planning, will build a digitally-enabled activities and tour marketplace to serve its Saudi customer base with a seamless booking solution across its omni-channel offering.
On its part, Klook will support tourism operators in Saudi Arabia to digitise their businesses. With Klook’s new merchant Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, tour activity providers in the Kingdom will have the necessary digital tools and knowledge to build, manage, and scale their business.
Saudi travellers will also be able to access Klook’s global network of travel and leisure offerings, said Ethan Lin, CEO and co-founder of Klook.
As part of the Kingdom’s plans to increase inbound tourism in line with Vision 2030, the partnership will also tap into Klook’s audience in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, with Klook’s presence in Malaysia and Indonesia, the company will be able to meet the demands of travellers for Hajj and Umrah as they explore the Kingdom beyond their pilgrimage.
