Diriyah Company has signed a travel trade agreement with Saudi travel brand GoZahid to further promote Diriyah as a premier global cultural and tourism destination.

The announcement comes as Diriyah Company is participating in the Arabian Travel Market trade show in Dubai, which runs until May 1, featuring GoZahid as a trade partner. GoZahid is joined alongside other major trade partners at Diriyah Company’s booth including Athaar Arabia, Abercrombie and Kent, 88 Destinations, Tetrapylon, and Bonjour Saudi.

The collaboration will build on its existing success as a destination that has already attracted more than 3 million visits since opening its UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif and the Bujairi Terrace dining precinct in December 2022, as well as its first hotel — the 134-room Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel, in December last year.

Under the agreement, Diriyah Company and GoZahid will collaborate to promote Diriyah, known as the “City of Earth,” to inbound cultural travelers. Their partnership will focus on enhancing destination marketing, training tour operators, hosting destination workshops, and developing training manuals for tour guides.

Diriyah Company Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo said: “We are delighted to have signed a travel trade agreement with GoZahid, a long-established and internationally recognized travel house in the Kingdom. Our collaboration will help ensure that travelers have an unforgettable cultural experience visiting ‘The City of Earth’ as we continue to develop one of the world’s gathering places with centuries of history at its core.”

Daniel Ponzo, group managing director at Zahid Travel Group, said: “We are incredibly proud to partner with Diriyah Company to bring the story of Diriyah to life for travelers from around the world. This collaboration is a testament to our shared commitment to cultural authenticity, exceptional service, and meaningful travel experiences. Together, we look forward to welcoming the world to this extraordinary destination and supporting its continued rise as a global icon.”

Diriyah Company’s travel partner agreements aim to position Diriyah as an emerging must-visit destination on the global tourism map, leveraging the expertise of world-class, specialized partners.

With plans to develop many of the world’s leading global hotel brands, the Royal Diriyah Opera House, and the 20,000 seat multi-purpose Diriyah Arena, among many other tourism assets, Diriyah, situated on the outskirts of the capital city of Riyadh, is set to become one of the greatest gathering places in the world.

Mana Almana, CEO of Almana Hospitals, received the “Future Leader of the Year Award” from the Council of Health Insurance, recognizing his exceptional leadership and contributions to innovation and development in the healthcare sector.

This honor was bestowed during the third edition of the CHI Excellence Award ceremony, organized by the CHI under the auspices of Minister of Health Fahad AlJalajel. The event recognized leaders in the Kingdom’s healthcare sector and institutions that have excelled in delivering top-quality and efficient services.

The award stimulates creativity and innovation in the private healthcare sector and promotes digital transformation and technology to improve healthcare services.

“It is a great honor to receive this recognition, which I consider an additional incentive to continue contributing to the healthcare sector in the Kingdom,” Almana said, thanking the CHI and the judging panel for their confidence in him.

He added: “This award, which celebrates leadership potential, innovation and initiative, professional achievements, contributions to patient care, collaboration, and teamwork, is essentially a tribute to the encouraging and supportive environment within Almana Hospitals, and to the opportunities I have been given to contribute and develop.”

Almana said that actual milestones are not achieved by individual effort, but rather by collective work and constructive cooperation. Therefore, he dedicated this honor to every member of the Almana Hospitals team, who he said have played a significant role in supporting him in serving patients and continuously sought innovative solutions to improve their experience.

Almana praised the role of the CHI in organizing the award, as well as its contribution to motivating the private healthcare sector toward innovation and development.

Almana Hospitals is the largest medical institution and healthcare provider in the Eastern Province. It has contributed to a qualitative shift in healthcare services, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to improve the quality of life for citizens and residents.

The CHI is dedicated to honoring healthcare facilities that contribute to developing and improving the quality of healthcare services in the private sector. 

This is achieved through awards focusing on innovation, efficiency, and quality. The awards aim to enhance competitiveness among healthcare providers in the Kingdom. These institutions provide healthcare services in line with international quality standards, underscoring their commitment to developing the private healthcare sector in the Kingdom.