The ancient oasis city of AlUla has achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first destination in the Middle East to be accredited by Destinations International; the US-based global association for destination professionals.

The accreditation, which was officially announced on July 17 at the Destinations International Annual Convention in Florida, falls under the Destination Marketing Accreditation Programme (DMAP), an industry standard for quality and professionalism among destination organisations.

The honour comes a year after AlUla made history by becoming the first member of Destinations International from the Middle East.

Supported by a calendar of year-round events and authentic hospitality options, AlUla is one of Saudi Arabia’s main tourism sites, and has been operational and open to global tourists for four years.

The latest accreditation is testament to AlUla’s vision and mission to spark a new wave of tourism excellence globally, centred around creating a sustainable, community-oriented experience economy, a statement said.

Phillip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: “Completing the Destination Marketing Accreditation Programme is a significant milestone for AlUla as we strive to develop a tourism industry and eco-system that is best-in-class and future-thinking.

“This recognition strengthens our commitment to ensuring the highest standards within our destination, and establishing trust among visitors, community, stakeholders and our partners.

“By being part of Destinations International, an incubator for best practices, we hope to share our unique methodology with the world and showcase just why AlUla is one of the most innovative and coveted luxury destination in the world right now.”

To receive DMAP accreditation, a destination organisation must satisfy more than 100 performance standards in domains including governance, financial management, human resources, sales and marketing, stakeholder engagement and destination development.

The standards are set by an independent panel of industry veterans representing a range of destination organisations. Standards are updated regularly to reflect the evolution of best practices in the industry.

For AlUla, this latest recognition adds to several recent accolades. In May, the 2024 World Travel Awards honoured AlUla as Middle East’s Leading Festival & Event Destination, Saudi Arabia’s Leading Cultural Tourism Project and Middle East’s Leading Cultural Tourism Project.

Also in May, RCU received a five-star rating for organisational excellence from the European Foundation for Quality Management and an award of excellence from the Middle East Facility Management Association. – TradeArabia News Service