Landmark three-day trade exhibition aims to draw 6,500 industry professionals and 150 international buyers as Kingdom targets 150 million annual visitors
RIYADH — September 2, 2026 : Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has signed on as the strategic partner for the debut edition of World Travel Market (WTM) Spotlight Riyadh, scheduled to run from September 8 to 10 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center.
The partnership anchors a critical industry gathering designed to link global travel brands with one of the fastest-growing tourism economies in the world. Organized by RX Global, the inaugural trade event expects to assemble more than 6,500 regional and international attendees alongside 150 hosted international buyers.
The exhibition covers the complete travel value chain, spanning aviation, hotel hospitality, travel technology, and commercial operators.
Under the Vision 2030 economic transformation agenda, Saudi Arabia has placed tourism at the center of its diversification plans away from hydrocarbons. Official targets call for the tourism sector to generate 10% of gross domestic product and welcome 150 million domestic and overseas visitors annually by the end of the decade. Recent ministry metrics indicate consistent upticks in visitor footfall and inbound expenditure.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME at RX Global, said the strategic alignment underscores the scale of change underway across the Kingdom’s leisure and commercial travel infrastructure. The initiative intends to provide international investors and operators direct commercial access to Saudi tourism assets while expanding domestic hospitality offerings onto the world stage.
The Riyadh edition joins RX Global’s established World Travel Market portfolio, which includes flagship conventions such as WTM London and Dubai’s Arabian Travel Market.
