September 26, 2016 - The Elaf Group, a SEDCO holding company, and a leading provider of travel, tourism and hospitality services, will be showcasing Saudi Arabia’s tourism opportunities through strategic marketing tours across different countries in the month of October 2016. The Group will be visiting Istanbul, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt; Casablanca, Morocco; and Jakarta, Indonesia to highlight attractive tour packages and the wide range of cultural offerings that the Kingdom has to offer especially for religious tourism. 

In line with Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom is actively working to enhance its tourism sector, with recent reports forecasting that the industry will increase its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product from 5.4 per cent to 5.7 per cent by 2020. As such, the public sector aims to cultivate the business and increase the number of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to 20 million by 2030. The primary aim of these marketing tours is to support government initiatives, further advance the tourism sector of the Kingdom, and showcase attractive hospitality offers to the public.

Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, CEO of Elaf Group, said: “We continue to innovate with our service offerings for our guests such as extended and all-inclusive packages for all our hotels in Saudi Arabia, to facilitate and guarantee a comfortable stay, so that they can explore other parts of the country before or after their Hajj or Umrah performance,” 

“We stand in solidarity with the government in promoting the tourism sector to help strengthen the economy and reinforce the country’s position in the international arena. The country holds wonderful opportunities for religious tourism in particular. We work hard towards achieving the unified goal indicated by Saudi Vision 2030”, Mahfouz added.

Established in 1981, the company is owned by the Saudi Economic and Development Company (SEDCO) and is widely considered as a leading travel and tourism brand within the region. Elaf specializes in providing religious tourism services and facilitating Hajj and Umrah for all pilgrims by developing strategic partnerships with various hospitality-related businesses. 

The company is known for its innovative and pioneering work, which has led it to establish a strong international presence through its wide network of offices in the Arab World as well as in various European and Far Eastern hubs. It has leveraged its position to partner with major airlines to ensure the comfort and overall satisfaction of its clientele.