Mumbai: The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) inaugurated its official partnership with the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) — the world’s preeminent Twenty 20 cricket league – here recently.
The inauguration was attended by Jay Shah, Secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rajeev Shukla (Vice-President, BCCI) and Ashish Shelar (Honorary Treasurer, BCCI) along with Saudi Tourism Authority officials including Alhasan Aldabbagh, President of APAC.
The cricketing partnership comes off Saudi Arabia’s tourism strategy, that is viewing India’s immense potential as Saudi’s largest tourism source market by 2030.
Describing the Indian subcontinent region as a key market for the STA in its global marketing strategy, Alhasan Aldabbagh, APAC President at Saudi Tourism Authority, said, “We know how important cricket is to our visitors from South Asia and, through our partnership with IPL, we aim to increase Saudi’s presence and appeal in the Indian and South Asian markets.”
He said India’s diverse and rich culture is similar to Saudi Arabia’s where hospitality is +deeply rooted in our DNA.+ “IPL is a celebration of cricket and we have a bold vision for 2030 featuring this sport while also making Saudi Arabia one of the top five destinations in the world,” he said while describing the IPL as the right platform for connecting Saudi Arabia globally.
“We are excited to show prospective South Asian visitors why they should consider Saudi not only as their next holiday destination, but also as a viable sports destination as we play host to prominent sports and entertainment events such as Formula One, WWE, and the Spanish Super Cup.”
Reiterating Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting excellence in the world of sport, Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board at Saudi Tourism Authority, said, “Sports, like tourism, brings people together in harmony and fellowship, bridging cultures and sharing perspectives on the world around us. These values are central to Saudi culture and are championed by young people from all around the world.”
Highlighting the IPL’s rise as a global dominant force that generated strong appeal in the sporting ecosystem, Jay Shah, Secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India said, “For us, it’s an exciting prospect that Saudi Tourism Authority has immense faith in the power of IPL to bring countries together. This partnership will create newer opportunities for cricket in Saudi and strengthen the sport in the region.”
Welcoming the Saudi Tourism Authority on board as an official sponsor for the 2023 edition of the IPL, Rajeev Shukla (Vice-President, BCCI), said, “The IPL partnership is a powerful channel to engage with its vast audience and support Saudi Tourism Authority’s objective of creating brand awareness in India and among fans from the entire cricketing world. We hope that through this partnership, we inspire and grow the cricket fanbase in Saudi and in collaboration with STA, create exciting opportunities for them to engage with the game.”
Describing the partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority as a “testament” to the IPL’s global appeal, Ashish Shelar, Honorary Treasurer, BCCI, said that with each season passing by, the league has been consistently registering an uptick in its global fan base alongside expanding its geographical footprint. “We believe this association will offer an opportunity for the sport to strengthen cricketing culture and fan base in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he added.
With cricket being one of the world’s most popular sports, the STA aims to use this partnership to tap into a strong fanbase between the two countries, especially among young people as — with more than half of its population below the age of 30 — India shares a similar demographic profile with Saudi Arabia where 58 percent of the local population is in the same age group.
IPL is one of the biggest events on the international sporting calendar and the partnership adds to a growing portfolio of STA’s global strategic relationships. Partnerships like IPL are a key pillar of Saudi’s tourism strategy as they bring fans, athletes and nations together, while sparking curiosity from those that may want to be among the first to visit Saudi as a destination.
The dynamic partnership builds on Saudi’s history and love for cricket, with the first governing cricket body established in 2003. In 2020, the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) was established and it currently looks after 16 regional associations in 11 cities, and counts 8,000+ registered players and 400+ registered clubs, with a total participation of 35,000 in domestic cricket tournaments and championships. The Saudi cricket national team is presently ranked 32nd out of 180 nations in cricket.
