2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Background

Saudi Tourism Authority commissioned us to inspire and entice people to discover and visit KSA through digital media, whilst supporting Saudi’s local travel industry. In September 2019, we launched VisitSaudi.com to accompany and boost Saudi Arabia's transformation. We designed and developed a website and apps with a premium visually-led experience, video content, photography and information to transform KSA into the must-visit destination for domestic and international travellers. Now, 16 months after the launch, this is what we have achieved: To pin Saudi Arabia on the map of regional and global destinations, connecting, educating and inspiring worldwide and local travellers. To raise enough digital awareness for Saudi Arabia to differentiate itself from the UAE and Singapore. This speaks volumes about how effective the communication strategy has been. To increase domestic tourism, inviting Saudis to discover their country and to fall more deeply in love with their home.

Describe the strategy

To reflect the deep changes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we built the VisitSaudi platform and apps with a tailored digital campaign that transforms this country into one of the world’s top destinations. VisitSaudi.com was designed in a user centric fashion, in line with the ISO 9241 standard for user experience. We architectured it through iterative rounds of research with users worldwide and with GCC countries, resulting in a site built around users' needs. We appealed to domestic and regional tourists and developed a larger strategy attracting global travellers through a rich combination of visual media, pertinent information and innovative storytelling. We created a world-class tourism solution from scratch with an unparalleled data gathering process, a unique creative approach and state-of-the-art strategic vision. We leaned on everything from UX to analytics to develop an integrated media plan with continuous support to build awareness in global audiences.

Describe the execution

We launched the VisitSaudi website, App, and e-Visa along with a global awareness campaign in 2019. By December of the same year, VisitSaudi had already implemented Adobe Experience Management, one of the fastest applications Adobe has ever seen, giving it a unique digital assets solution. Between January and September 2020, we’d set in motion the domestic Summer campaign for local Saudi travellers, one of the most successful to date. We’ve also created the follow-up Winter campaign between December 2020 and March 2021 for regional tourism. Since January 2020, we’ve succeeded with an ongoing international strategy to attract global visitors. In the 16 months since the launch, we achieved these milestones: Fully online eVisa application with confirmation email within minutes. Adapting to travel restrictions throughout 2020. Personalized content based on the location of the user. Fully integrated web & app. Over 150 articles & attractions on the platform since the launch.

List the results

We launched VisitSaudi.com in September of 2019 as a responsive website on mobile and desktop, with new features being released on a monthly basis. Since then, around 11 million people from over 172 countries have visited the platform. Over 50,000 e-visas for tourists were issued from September 2019 to March 2020, when international travel was suspended due to the pandemic. Despite restrictions, 2020 has been Saudi’s biggest ever domestic tourism campaign. Al Khateeb, the Saudi Minister of Tourism, explained that the 2020 Saudi Summer led to a 33% increase in tourism-related spending compared to the same period in 2019, a tremendous success. Besides boosting the local tourism sector and improving the broader economy, it has paved the way for the return of international visitors during 2021, starting with the Saudi Winter season.