Tourism advertising in Saudi Arabia had an unusual job: sell a country most travellers had never been allowed to visit as tourists. The Saudi Tourism Authority answered with films that sold a feeling before the resorts were finished, and it worked. The Kingdom welcomed 116 million visitors in 2024 and has raised its 2030 target to 150 million.
We are iklipse, a creative and AI production agency working across the GCC, Egypt, the US and Europe. One of those Saudi tourism films, Live to Discover, was written by our co-founder and creative director Ghazy through &That French Guy, iklipse's creative arm.
Saudi Arabia started from almost zero in 2019.
Saudi Arabia launched its tourist visa programme on 27 September 2019. For the first time, citizens of 49 countries, including the US, China and Japan, could apply online for a one-year, multiple-entry visa allowing stays of up to 90 days.
The flagship Red Sea resorts came later. Six Senses Southern Dunes, widely described as the first resort to open in the Red Sea destination, opened in 2023, and the St. Regis Red Sea Resort followed. So for years, the country was selling places that were still being built, to people who had never set foot there.
The numbers caught up fast.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, Saudi Arabia counted 116 million visitors in 2024, made up of about 29.7 million inbound visitors and 86.2 million domestic trips, with tourism spending of around SAR 283.8 billion. It had already passed its original 2030 goal of 100 million visitors in 2023, so it raised the bar to 150 million a year by 2030. Preliminary figures for 2025 put the total at about 122 million.
Visas, airlines, events and hotels did most of that work. Advertising did a smaller, earlier job: it made people curious enough to look.
Live to Discover sold a mood before it sold a place.
The film we want to talk about is STA, Live to Discover. Ghazy and &That French Guy wrote both the script and the treatment.
Its key image is a storm. It sets "KSA 2023" in tall white letters over a dark sea under storm clouds. The cover frame is a rough swell under a night sky, with the Visit Saudi "Welcome to Arabia" logo in white.
Most launch films for a new destination reach for a beach. That choice is the lesson. A tourism ad for a new destination can easily turn into a brochure: sunrise, pool, smiling couple, repeat. Live to Discover went for weather and scale. It treats the Kingdom as a place with drama in it, a place you go to discover something, which is what the line promises.
Here is what tourism brands in the region can borrow from it.
Lead with the feeling only your place gives.
Every resort has a pool. Few places have a storm rolling over the Red Sea at night. Find the image nobody else can claim and build around it.
Let the line carry the promise.
"Live to Discover" works as a title, a caption and an invitation. A tourism campaign line should be short enough to sit over any image in the campaign and still make sense.
Sell the country before the product is ready.
Saudi tourism started advertising while much of the offer was still under construction. Destinations and developers can do the same, as long as the film sells the place and the experience honestly and does not show finished buildings that do not exist yet.
Cut it for every screen.
A tourism film lives on TV, in cinemas, in airports and, mostly, on phones. Our post-production team plans those versions from the start, so the strongest frame works in a 9:16 crop as well as on a cinema screen.
Domestic travellers were the first audience to win.
It is easy to forget that most of those 116 million visits were trips by people who already live in the Kingdom. Tourism advertising in Saudi Arabia has two audiences at once: foreigners who need a reason to book a first trip, and residents who need a reason to see their own country differently. A film like Live to Discover speaks to both, because a storm over the Red Sea looks new to a traveller in Europe and to a family in Riyadh.
For brands working in the sector, that means one hero film with versions in Arabic and English, and cutdowns that speak to weekend trips at home as well as long-haul holidays.
The next phase of Saudi tourism advertising will be harder.
In 2019 the story was "you can come now". By 2026 millions have come, and they post their trips. The ads now compete with real travellers' videos, which raises the bar for honesty and craft. Films need to look like the place visitors will actually find, and they need a creative idea strong enough to stand out among those videos.
That is the work we like most: a clear idea from Ghazy and the &That French Guy team, then careful production and edit. If you are building a destination, a hotel or an attraction, our Brand Experiences team can help you find the image only you own. For a related story about Saudi brands and big moments, read our post on Saudi sport's underdog stories.
Frequently asked questions
When did Saudi Arabia open to tourists?
The tourist visa programme was announced on 27 September 2019, initially for citizens of 49 countries.
How many tourists visit Saudi Arabia?
The Ministry of Tourism counted 116 million visitors in 2024, including domestic trips. Preliminary 2025 figures put it at about 122 million.
Who wrote the STA Live to Discover film?
Ghazy, co-founder and creative director of iklipse, wrote the script and treatment through &That French Guy, the agency's creative arm.
Does iklipse work on tourism campaigns?
Yes. We write, produce and edit films for destinations and hospitality brands. Talk to us through our contact page.
Sources: Arab News, Gulf News, Mayer Brown, Six Senses, iklipse case studies.
