Today, Saudi Arabia managed to get the attention of every football fan in the world after it beat Argentina 2-1 in one of the biggest developments in World Cup history. The opening match of Group C at the 2022 World Cup looked to be going as expected after Lionel Messi’s early penalty.
Heads of State from around the world congratulated Saudi Arabia on this win, including His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who congratulated Saudi Arabia after their historic 2-1 win over Argentina in the FIFA Qatar World Cup Group C match at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on Tuesday.
“A well-deserved victory… Excellent performance… An Arab joy. Congratulations to the Saudi team who made us happy,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.
Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet congratulated the Kingdom’s national team on Tuesday after its victory against Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar.
It also extended its thanks to the leaders of countries who have congratulated the Kingdom on Tuesday’s match.
This is also a tremendous win for the travel and tourism ambition of the Kingdom, prompting the World Tourism Network to issue a statement congratulating the Saudi People and His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, the Kingdom’s Minister of Tourism.
Just in time for a tourism mega event in its own world, the 2023 Global Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is about to convene in the Kingdom’s capital city Riyadh next week.
Saudi Arabia has been putting on 240 flights between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and eased overland travel to attract tens of thousands of football fans attending the World Cup in neighboring Qatar, the Kingdom’s Tourism Minister told AFP in an interview last month.
With billions invested in bringing the Kingdom into the center of travel and tourism, sports have always played a significant role in Saudi’s plan for the future of tourism.
هن سال جو موضوع WTTC summit is, “هڪ بهتر مستقبل لاء سفر,” which aims to tackle social, environmental, and economic challenges and foster sustainability, inclusive growth, and shared prosperity.
هن سال مارچ ۾، Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport ۽ سياحت جو وزارت set ambitious targets for growth: sports should contribute 0.6% of GDP and tourism 10% by 2030, according to a new research report provided by KPMG.
جي مطابق World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) pre-pandemic figures, sports tourism generates 12 to 15 million international arrivals each year and represents 10% of the world’s tourism industry with a turnover of about US$800 billion.
For Saudi Arabia, a new chapter for sports tourism made headlines in December 2021 during the pandemic with the Formula 1 weekend in Jeddah. It was the first-ever race from motorsport’s top tier in the Kingdom.
Sports events of various kinds and sizes attract tourists as participants or spectators. Destinations try to add local flavors to distinguish themselves and provide authentic local experiences.
Mega sports events such as the Olympics and World Cups can be a catalyst for tourism development if successfully leveraged in terms of destination branding, infrastructure development, and other economic and social benefits.
With money and resources in place, the Gulf region is a perfect place to develop the connection between sports mega-events and tourism after the pandemic, which caused so many financial challenges for destinations.
Qatar has fought hard to host this world soccer mega event, very well understanding the long-term benefits of sports, tourism, and economic growth.
Saudi Arabian citizens are proud today and celebrate the surprise holiday announced by the Kingdom’s leadership.
Argentina won two world cubs and played in three other finals, but today it became clear that Argentina won’t be able to replicate a World Cup win ever since a fateful day 36 years ago.
For some fans, lack of skill is to blame. Others, however, believe something much more sinister is at play — the Curse of Tilcara.
Tilcara is a small town in the Jujuy province in northern Argentina that sits over 8,000 feet above sea level. It’s this elevated altitude that first brought Argentina’s national soccer team to the town over three decades ago. They were preparing for Mexico City’s high altitude where the tournament was being hosted that year.
According to the myth, the players went to visit the Virgin of Copacabana in Tilcara and asked for a blessing. They allegedly made a promise to return to the Virgin and thank her if they won the World Cup title that year. They won, but the promise to return was ultimately not fulfilled.
In reality, sports and tourism are Siamese twins in Argentina.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Argentina is a ministry of national executive power that oversees and advises on Argentina’s national tourism. It demonstrates the importance this Latin American country puts on tourism and sports.
In raising the bar for sports and tourism, this one-time loss for Argentina with a little help from Saudi Arabia perhaps has the potential to turn into a national or global win for world sports tourism.
