ABSTRACT

In the last decade, the number of Saudi food festivals has grown from zero to almost 60 festivals around the kingdom. While the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) has helped in the staging and promoting of most of these festivals in their early stages, it is the strategic and commercial aspects of such events that outweigh the tourism and social impacts. As Saudi Arabia provides limited tourist visas, most of the attendees at these food festivals are locals. Therefore, the ultimate strategic goal of staging and growing the number of Saudi food festivals is to promote local products, businesses and the agriculture industry, and to diversify the national economy away from oil dependency.