Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of Diriyah Company talks candidly about the past, present, and future of this extraordinary destination – in an exclusive interview.
With five decades of service and leadership in the hospitality industry, Jerry Inzerillo is the Group Chief Executive Officer at Diriyah Company, where he is spearheading the transformation of Diriyah, the UNESCO World Heritage site and birthplace of the Kingdom, into a global cultural and tourism hub.
In addition to his role at Diriyah, Inzerillo serves as Vice Chairman of Forbes Travel Guide and has been honoured as a United Nations Tourism Ambassador, inspiring the next generation of hospitality leaders.
As a board member of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), his vast experience is instrumental in advancing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, positioning the Kingdom as a leading destination for both cultural heritage and luxury tourism worldwide.
Sadly this year, we missed Jerry at Virtuoso Travel Week in Vegas, due to a board meeting clash… but key members of his team attended. In this remote interview, we began by asking Jerry what the main goals are for Diriyah at VTW – as well as at the upcoming ILTM Cannes, and especially “how business is going”.
If you look at global tourism receipts, we’re almost back to pre-pandemic levels, and the Middle East is way ahead of those levels. We’re booming so much in terms of travel and tourism that some of the major governing bodies like WTTC and UN Tourism are again discussing overtourism as a significant issue.
We’re having to balance environmental sustainability with overtourism while ensuring tourism continues to stimulate economies—creating jobs, empowering impoverished communities, women, children, and bringing young people into the workforce.
“There’s only one Diriyah” – historic sites such as this cannot be replicated anywhere else…
For destinations like Saudi Arabia, and particularly for the giga projects like Diriyah, it’s crucial to be omnipresent. We need to get our message out there as a young player in the global tourism marketplace.
Remarkably, since September 2019, we’ve already built annual tourism visits up to 100 million, including 23 million international visits, of those – 16 million being pilgrimages, and 77 million domestic travellers exploring the Kingdom like never before.
The Crown Prince has set an ambitious target to increase this to 150 million visits. The last six months of 2023 were monumental for us—securing major events like the 2027 Asian Games and the 2029 Winter Asian Games in Neom. Riyadh will also host the World Expo in 2030, which is set to be the largest ever, and the new King Salman Airport will support up to 100 million visitors.
Soccer star Lionel Messi visiting At Turaif, Diriyah with his wife
As for our participation in events like Virtuoso and ILTM, the focus is on brand awareness. Diriyah is not yet a mature destination, but in a decade, people will recognise it globally, just as they do the pyramids in Egypt or the Acropolis in Greece. We’re in the early stages of an awareness campaign, and it’s vital to establish Diriyah as a cultural icon.
Read the full article here
