Saudi Arabia 2034: Tourism, brands and challenging perceptions
On December 11, Saudi Arabia is expected to be named as the host country for the 2034 World Cup. As the sole bidder and with Fifa having recently released its evaluation report of the bid, the process is seen as a formality.
Ahead of the announcement, our guest on the Footballco Business Podcast was the head of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation FIFA World Cup 2034 bid unit, Hammad Albalawi .
Hammad joined us to discuss the bid, the questions around it and the role it's expected to play in Saudi Arabia's tourism drive and its wider Saudi Vision 2030 strategy.
This newsletter contains three highlights from the interview, but if you'd like to listen to the show in full, either search for 'Footballco Podcast' wherever you get your podcasts, or click below.
Changing Perceptions
Hosting the Fifa World Cup is as much a marketing and tourism exercise as a sporting one. There's no bigger stage for a country to present itself to the world. The same is true of Saudi Arabia as the country seeks to diversify its economy, as referenced in its Saudi Vision 2030 plans, and grow its tourism industry, as well as others.
Hammad is aware of the importance tourism and the World Cup will play in changing people's perceptions of Saudi Arabia and how this will translate into tourism.
I think it's a story that every country in every society and every nation goes through. And Saudi Arabia is part of the international community. We all know, we all represent and we all have experiences where we go and visit countries and only truly understand the nature of that country once we visit and leave that country. Saudi Arabia is no different. We welcome all of our guests, and we encourage them to come and visit Saudi Arabia.
Don't build your opinions and thoughts of this country simply by having external perceptions; come and visit, come and meet Saudis, exchange, have dialogue, and have constructive conversation. And only on that and only after that does one have a complete understanding and idea of what Saudi is. Allow me to share with you what I believe is Saudi. Saudi is energy. Saudi is hospitality. Saudi is a country that is opening up its doors, opening up its hearts to welcome fans from all four corners of the world. And in the context of this conversation, Saudi is one of the most passionate countries when it comes to the game we love, football.
Taking centre stage
While hosting a World Cup brings tourism, it also brings an increased focus on a country, one that isn't always desired. Hammad recognises this but insists that tourism, from the World Cup and outside of the tournament, will help people see the real Saudi Arabia. He welcomes the attention focused on the country and believes the interactions visitors have with the Saudi people will be what they remember from the tournament.
This is a question that is asked of any country doing any activity, especially in the area of major event hosting. This question or these questions were asked of all of the hosts before us, whether it was Brazil, Russia, Qatar, it will be asked of the next hosts and the hosts after that.
And then on Saudi Arabia in 2034, and guess what? They will continue to be asked of all countries hosting these events after that. So, these ideas of creating closer lenses and closer looks at countries are normal things. This isn't just a Saudi question. However, there is an opportunity that we see in creating or putting a lens into Saudi Arabia that we would love to explore. An opportunity that we would love to take advantage of.
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Remember how we probably had ideas and thoughts upon visiting a country and how they differed when we left those countries. Let us remember our first World Cup memories. My first was in 2006 when I visited Germany. I can tell you all of the matches I attended, they weren't many, two or three, but I could probably give you a score line that was plus/minus one or two goals. I don't really remember the scoreline. But what I do remember was the people that I met, the memories we created, and the exchanges we had.
Our slogan is one that we want to live through. We say growing connections together because we believe in the power of human interaction. We believe in the power of culture. And we ask fans to use this opportunity. To understand Saudi Arabia and to grow a connection together. And one day, we will receive them in our country. We will show them our special Saudi hafawah as hospitality that makes us truly unique, truly different. And one that will leave them with memories and great experiences that they will live with forever.
So of course, these questions will be asked of anyone and everyone, but of course, we are going to take full advantage of all of the opportunities that we have.
What brands can expect from a Saudi World Cup
While tourists and fans are vital to a World Cup, so are brands. While Budweiser experienced challenges with activating at the Qatar World Cup in 2022, there have been questions about how brand-safe a Saudi World Cup would be, especially for alcohol brands. For Hammad, he sees the success of other sporting events as reasons for brands to feel confident about their place during the 2034 World Cup.
Brands have realised and achieved so much in Saudi Arabia for many decades in the past. This is a market that's always been thriving; brands that have always had presence, and ones that are continuously expanding over the course of many years. So, Saudi Arabia today is also unlocking new opportunities and expansion for these brands across all areas.
When we look at the sporting elements, we've seen over 100 major international sporting events that have all been engaging with their Saudi consumer. A Saudi consumer that is growing, a Saudi consumer that is young, a Saudi consumer that is really pushing technology and consumer behaviour in new ways. It is in a region where demand is growing.
We talked about 60 % of the global population within eight hours flight away. This is becoming a central global hub. These brands and international corporations are benefiting a lot from this experience. We want them to continue to benefit from this. And a World Cup in 2034 will no doubt be an additional opportunity for them to activate and leverage.
And on alcohol brands...
I am best informed about my opinion by what I see in front of me. I mentioned the 100 international sporting events. We also see the quality of the environment that allows families to enjoy sport in a safe and secure environment.
We also see opportunity for everyone. You talk about Budweiser, Budweiser has a presence in Saudi Arabia, leveraging a product that is gaining more market share globally. There are alcohol-zero products, and that is something that is open for all brands to come and enjoy what the Saudi market has to offer, which is a compelling young, energetic youthful market
60 per cent of our population is under the age of 30. You ask any brand, what do these facts mean to you? And they see opportunity. And we are open, we're open for business. We're open for making these opportunities realised for everyone.
If you want to learn more about Saudi Arabia's sporting strategy, listen to our show on the impact of megastar footballers in the Kingdom, featuring: