AlUla has made history by becoming the first destination in the Middle East to receive accreditation from Destinations International, a US-based organization.
This certification is a significant milestone for AlUla, an ancient Arabic oasis city located in Medina Province of Saudi Arabia. AlUla is home to Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra, which features well-preserved tombs and monuments from the Nabataean Kingdom.
The accomplishment is part of the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), which serves as a benchmark for destination marketing organizations to measure quality and professionalism.
The accreditation comes one year after AlUla successfully joined Destinations International as the first entity from the Middle East.
Since opening its doors to visitors four years ago, AlUla has established itself as one of the most significant tourism sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, especially with the introduction of a year-round events calendar and the provision of the best authentic hospitality options.
AlUla’s achievement of this accreditation is a testament to its progress in realizing its vision of reshaping the landscape of global tourism excellence based on creating a sustainable economy aimed at benefiting the local community.
The Chief Tourism Officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla, Philip Jones, stated, “Completing the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program is a significant milestone for AlUla. We strive to develop AlUla’s tourism industry and ecosystem to be best-in-class,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Jones further said that the accreditation reaffirms commitment to ensuring the highest standards in destination and strengthening trust among visitors, stakeholders, and partners.
“We hope that being part of Destinations International, home to best practices, will enable us to share our unique approach with the world and highlight everything that makes AlUla one of the world’s leading luxury destinations today,” Jones said.
To obtain Destination Marketing accreditation, over one hundred performance standards in areas including governance, stakeholder engagement, financial management, and destination development must be met.
These standards are set by an independent committee of industry experts representing a wide range of destination organizations and are updated periodically to reflect the evolution of best practices in the sector.
This achievement adds to the list of prestigious awards that AlUla has recently received.
In May, during the World Travel Awards Middle East, AlUla was recognized as the leading cultural tourism project in the Middle East for the second year in a row.
Additionally, it was also named the leading festival and event destination in the Middle East and received the award for the best pioneering cultural tourism project in the Kingdom for 2024.
The Royal Commission for AlUla also received a 5-star rating for organizational excellence from the European Foundation for Quality Management and the Excellence Award from the Middle East Facility Management Association.
AlUla is also becoming popular for its vibrant arts scene, with initiatives like the AlUla Arts Festival and the AlJadidah Arts District, which showcases local and international artists.
The city continues to establish itself as a leading luxury heritage destination, distinguished by its receipt of prestigious awards at the regional and global levels and promises its visitors an exceptional and immersive experience of arts, culture, nature, wellness, and exciting adventures.
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