Saudi Gazette report

ALULA — AlUla has become the first destination in the Middle East to receive accreditation from Destinations International, a US-based organization.

This certification, part of the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), benchmarks destination marketing organizations on quality and professionalism. The accreditation comes one year after AlUla joined Destinations International as the first Middle Eastern entity.

Since opening to visitors four years ago, AlUla has emerged as a premier tourism site in Saudi Arabia, bolstered by a year-round events calendar and top-tier hospitality options. This accreditation underscores AlUla's progress toward its vision of creating a sustainable economy that benefits the local community.

Philip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla, stated, "Completing the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program is a significant milestone for AlUla. We strive to develop AlUla's tourism industry and ecosystem to be best-in-class."

He added, "This accreditation reaffirms our commitment to ensuring the highest standards in our destination and strengthening trust among visitors, stakeholders, and partners. We hope that being part of Destinations International will enable us to share our unique approach with the world and highlight everything that makes AlUla one of the world's leading luxury destinations today."

To earn this accreditation, AlUla met over one hundred performance standards in governance, stakeholder engagement, financial management, and destination development. These standards, set by an independent committee of industry experts, are periodically updated to reflect evolving best practices in the sector.

This latest accolade adds to AlUla's impressive list of awards. In May, AlUla was named the leading cultural tourism project in the Middle East for the second consecutive year at the World Travel Awards Middle East. It was also recognized as the leading festival and event destination in the Middle East and received the award for the best pioneering cultural tourism project in the Kingdom for 2024. Additionally, the Royal Commission for AlUla earned a 5-star rating for organizational excellence from the European Foundation for Quality Management and the Excellence Award from the Middle East Facility Management Association.

AlUla continues to cement its status as a leading luxury heritage destination, offering visitors an exceptional and immersive experience in arts, culture, nature, wellness, and adventure.