Saudi Arabia Leverages Artificial Intelligence to Revolutionize Travel Planning
RIYADH — As Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector expands in pursuit of its Vision 2030 goals, advanced computing technologies are becoming increasingly embedded across the travel experience — from planning itineraries and streamlining bookings to delivering more personalised customer service.
Industry leaders say these tools are driving a broader transformation of the sector by enabling more tailored visitor experiences while reinforcing responsible governance.
Muzzamil Ahussain, CEO of Almosafer Travel and Tourism Co., said the technology is reshaping the industry by cutting through the overwhelming number of travel options and delivering more relevant recommendations. “The real problem was never having too few options; it was having too many irrelevant ones,” he said, explaining that by analysing travelers’ budgets, travel companions, and cultural preferences, systems can generate more meaningful suggestions.
The growing intersection of advanced computing and tourism is also helping diversify travel across the Kingdom. “By highlighting trending destinations such as Abha, Jubail, and Tabuk, alongside fast-rising giga-destinations like The Red Sea and Qiddiya City, we are actively diversifying tourism beyond traditional major hubs,” Ahussain said.
Almosafer’s engineering platform processes approximately 10 billion requests per month, with around 50 percent of its code co‑authored by smart tools and 85 percent of engineering teams using them actively. The company has reported a 22 percent increase in conversion rates as a result of more relevant recommendations.
Trust and Governance
As adoption accelerates, discussions around ethics, accountability, and trust are becoming increasingly important. Ayman Al-Rashed, regional vice president of IBM Saudi Arabia, said trust will become even more critical as these systems become embedded in travel ecosystems spanning airlines, airports, hotels, and digital platforms.
“Tourism has always been a trust industry. Visitors share their identities, travel plans, payment information, and preferences throughout their journey,” he said. “The biggest consideration is not the volume of data being collected, but how that data is governed throughout its lifecycle.”
Al-Rashed added that the real work often happens behind the scenes — ensuring systems use trusted data, models are governed, and human oversight is maintained. His comments underscore how advanced computing is becoming central to the operation of digital tourism platforms, extending far beyond virtual assistants and recommendation engines.
As Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry continues to evolve, industry leaders say the sector’s long‑term success will depend not only on innovation, but also on maintaining trust, transparency, and personalisation while making travel more seamless for visitors.
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