Riyadh’s TOURISE 2025 summit concluded with a clear message: tourism must expand beyond its usual boundaries. The three-day event gathered mayors, border officials, AI firms, and retail leaders—groups seldom seen together at industry gatherings. Organizers aimed to move tourism from a standalone sector to a catalyst for wider economic shifts.
Visa reform takes center stage
The summit produced a key proposal for a “Visa by Profile” system. This approach would replace traditional passport-based approvals with digital evaluations of financial reliability. Visa authorities, banks, and interior ministries began working toward a model that ignores passport origin.
Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, described it as a potential global solution. A pilot program, developed with Visa, will use credit scores to speed approvals for low-risk travelers. Success could transform mobility for millions, especially in Asia.
Hamidaddin emphasized that tourism’s future requires cooperation with sectors that have long worked separately. “Border control, financial systems, and mayors rarely share the same space,” he said. “Yet these groups determine how tourism actually functions.”
A coalition for safer destinations
Safety for travelers became an unexpected focus. Rising thefts and attacks on tourists worldwide have gone largely unaddressed at conferences—until now. By the summit’s end, 13 mayors established the Tourism Destination Initiative (TDI), a coalition addressing safety, urban design, and surveillance.
Two mayors will lead the group, which plans to meet again in three months. Hamidaddin called the alliance the event’s biggest achievement, noting it evolved from a vague concept to a formal commitment. “We envisioned a working group,” he said. “Instead, we created a coalition.”
The TDI will first address safety but may later expand to city planning and AI surveillance. The strategy aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader approach: test solutions locally before scaling them globally.
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AI and the future of travel
The summit also introduced the Agentic Protocol for Tourism, a digital framework to standardize AI interactions throughout a traveler’s journey. Founding members include Globant, Amazon Web Services, Trip.com, Riyadh Air, and the Red Sea Global development.
The protocol seeks to create a unified system for AI agents, from trip planning to post-travel feedback. It addresses a long-standing issue in the industry, where booking platforms, airlines, and hotels often use incompatible technology.
Participants acknowledged that tourism and consumer culture are deeply connected. Cities thrive when visitors spend, improving life for residents.
The next TOURISE summit, set for March 2027, will reflect the priorities of the sectors involved—many of which hadn’t previously considered tourism relevant. Hamidaddin wants the event to evolve based on their input rather than repeating the same narrow focus.
“This platform belongs to everyone,” he said. “It’s not about tourism dictating terms—it’s about engaging other industries in the conversation.”
For those planning a trip, exploring destinations in Sweden could offer inspiration for future travel experiences.