A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed today between THE RIG. and Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, to explore mutually beneficial areas of collaboration and further empower the travel and tourism industry.

The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by Engineer Raed Bakhrji, CEO of THE RIG., and Ibrahim Salman Koshy, CEO of Saudia in Riyadh.

The agreement will enable THE RIG. and Saudia to explore initiatives that will increase visitor traffic to the Eastern province and promote the visitor experience at THE RIG. It will also explore opportunities with new transportation methods, such as eVTOL and carbon reduction initiatives, supporting the sustainability commitments of both companies.

Raed Bakhrji stated: "THE RIG. draws inspiration from Vision 2030 and its initiatives to develop the tourism sector. It is expected to be one of the leading adventure tourism projects, offering visitors an unparalleled mix of adventure experiences. Our collaboration with Saudia is expected to enhance the quality and uniqueness of our offerings, providing visitors with a wide range of easy access options to this distinctive tourist destination.”

Captain Ibrahim Koshy said: “At Saudia, we are deeply committed to fulfilling our role as the ‘Wings of Vision 2030’ to accomplish our goals in line with the Kingdom’s tourism strategy, which is to bring around 150 million visitors to Saudi Arabia by 2030. This collaboration holds great promises for the travel and tourism industry. Along with our partners, we look forward to leveraging our combined expertise to drive innovation and sustainable growth in the sector.”