THE CHALLENGE

Saudi's Red Sea coast remained largely unfamiliar to Indian travellers despite the Kingdom's rapid tourism growth. The brief: introduce this pristine coastline as a compelling, year-round luxury destination and give India's travel trade a reason to sell it, not just talk about it.

OUR APPROACH

We designed an experience-led format that let guests feel the destination rather than hear about it. The Beyond the Shore: Saudi yacht-sailing event brought together 40+ key trade partners, media, and influencers in Mumbai on January 30 for an intimate introduction to Saudi's evolving maritime tourism offering.

• Curated a full-day yacht voyage from the Gateway of India to Mandwa, using Mumbai's own coastline as a metaphor for sailing the Saudi Red Sea
• Closed the experience with a refined fine-dining lunch at Soulinaire, pairing curated menus with storytelling to evoke Red Sea luxury and exclusivity
• Walked guests through Red Sea itineraries spanning historic Jeddah, the Jeddah Corniche, and the Jeddah Yacht Club's marina, dining, and lifestyle offering
• Introduced Red Sea's ultra-luxury private island resorts and activities, kayaking, snorkelling in shallow reefs, wellness-led leisure, cycling and hiking across dune landscapes
• Handpicked a guest list of 40+ agents, media, and influencers rather than running an open invite, keeping the room high-intent and high-influence

THE RESULT

The Mumbai sailing delivered a tangible sense of Saudi's luxury ethos- purposeful, nature-led, and transformative- while creating meaningful, one-on-one engagement between STA and India's travel trade and media. With 313 weekly flights connecting Saudi and India via Saudia, Flynas, Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, and Akasa Air, the campaign reinforced that accessibility, not just aspiration, now supports the Red Sea story. Beyond the Shore: Saudi positions the Red Sea as STA's next chapter for Indian audiences, moving them past the familiar Saudi narrative toward coastal luxury, yachting, and experiential travel.