Saudi Arabia Should Become the World’s Most Event-Friendly Country

Key Points

• Saudi Arabia should pivot its tourism strategy to become the world's most event-friendly country, leveraging its expertise in managing large-scale pilgrimages.
• The Kingdom is uniquely positioned to dominate the MICE and live tourism sectors by focusing on access, capacity, pricing, and regional relevance rather than competing directly with Western luxury markets.
• Challenges such as infrastructure gaps and regulatory hurdles remain, but Saudi Arabia's centralized planning and ongoing investments offer a clear path to rapid growth in the events industry.

Summary

The article argues that Saudi Arabia should shift its tourism ambitions from trying to rival leisure destinations like Dubai or the Maldives to becoming the world’s most event-friendly country. Leveraging its unparalleled experience handling mass pilgrimages, Saudi has the operational know-how, growing infrastructure, and policy momentum (including visa liberalization) to excel in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) and live events sectors. By prioritizing access, affordability, and regional appeal—and learning from its own strengths rather than copying Western models—the Kingdom can capture demand as Western venues become more restrictive and expensive. While challenges such as traffic congestion, venue capacity, and regulatory processes persist, Saudi Arabia’s rapid development and strategic clarity position it to become the default hub for events across the Islamic world and beyond.