PUTRAJAYA: The Saudi Tourism Authority launched a travel roadshow in Malaysia on Wednesday, inviting visitors to explore the Kingdom鈥檚 top heritage destinations and thriving sports and entertainment scene.

The Saudi tourism sector has been thriving under Vision 2030, as the Kingdom positions itself as a dynamic, diverse, year-round tourism destination and market that will contribute 10 percent to gross domestic product by 2030.

The STA鈥檚 event, which will run through Sunday, is being held at the IOI Mall in Putrajaya, Malaysia鈥檚 administrative capital, where more than a dozen cubicles and booths present different tourist and cultural attractions.

鈥淲e are here to send a message to all the Malaysian people ... to welcome them to come to Saudi (Arabia),鈥� Alhasan Aldabbagh, STA president for Asia-Pacific markets, said during the exhibition鈥檚 launch.

Touting the Kingdom as one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations, he said that Malaysia was one of the countries whose citizens could easily apply for an electronic visa to enter 黑料社区.

鈥淢alaysians can go online by themselves and get the e-visa within minutes,鈥� he said.

Tourists from Southeast Asia have made a beeline for the Kingdom, with more than 1.5 million people from across the region visiting 黑料社区 every year.

Tens of thousands of visitors from Malaysia travel to the Kingdom every year to perform the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage.

Many curious Malaysians who stopped by the exhibition were greeted with dates and gahwa, the traditional Arabic coffee. They were invited to also explore the Kingdom鈥檚 heritage sites and numerous sports and entertainment events.

鈥淭here is a lot that Saudi is offering today. Saudi is very rich in culture and heritage,鈥� Aldabbagh said, adding that there were a lot of attractions to go with Riyadh Season 鈥� a series of entertainment, cultural and sporting events that run in the Saudi capital throughout the winter months, starting in October.

鈥淚n March 2025, we will also host Formula One.鈥�

The Malaysia roadshow follows similar events held by the STA in other Asian countries over the past few years.

In May, it launched its first show exhibition in Indonesia, and in June signed an agreement with a leading Saudi investment company to develop an integrated residential ecosystem with accommodation offerings tailored to visitors from China.

Since early 2023, the STA has also intensified promotional activity in India, which is expected to become the Kingdom鈥檚 top tourism source market by 2030.