The Tourism Development Fund TDF, the national enabler of the tourism sector, organised the demo day and the accompanying exhibition for the graduates of the first cohort of the “TDF Grow Accelerator” program at the KAFD Conference Center in Riyadh. The event was attended by a crowd of investment pioneers, entrepreneurs, media representatives, as well as key stakeholders interested in tourism investments.
During the ceremony, TDF’s CEO Qusai Al-Fakhri, stressed the importance of the TDF programs in promoting innovation and sustainable development in the Saudi’s tourism sector. That came within a speech delivered by His Highness Prince Saud Bin Mohammed, Executive Director of TDF Grow on behalf of the CEO. He also expressed his pride in the achievements of the participating, stating: “We are proud of what these distinguished startups have accomplished during their journey within the TDF Grow Accelerator Program. This success reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting entrepreneurial ideas and promising initiatives that contribute to efficiently implement the national tourism strategy and reinforcing the Kingdom’s standing as a global tourism destination.”
The ceremony included a review of the program’s accomplishments across its journey that extended for several months, where the emerging startups participated in more than 20 training and guidance sessions, as a total of 15 projects took part, including 11 local start-ups and 4 regional and international projects. This empowerment program contributed to creating an added value to the tourism sector in the Kingdom. These startups also succeeded in attracting investments worth over SAR 18 million to date. The ceremony was concluded with a presentation showcasing the tourism projects participating in the program.
It is worth noting that the Tourism Grow Accelerator Program is an initiative by TDF Grow that aims to empower entrepreneurs in the tourism sector by providing them with the necessary support to create innovative technical solutions, facilitate communication with investors and sector leaders, and encourage the best tourism startups to contribute to achieving the national tourism objectives.
