The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has announced the appointment of a new global marketing team helmed by senior leader Melanie de Souza, Executive Director, Destination Marketing and included is a familiar industry name – Philip J. Jones, as Chief Destination Management and Marketing Officer.
The cultural oasis in northwest Arabia brings together seasoned marketing professionals from around the world to open the destination of AlUla for global tourists
A marketing leader with an outstanding track record of achievement in the tourism and hospitality industries in Australia and Asia, de Souza was included in the list of Australia’s top 50 most innovative Chief Marketing Officers in CMO Magazine 2018.
Jones joined the RCU in 2019. His role involves driving the strategy for the development, promotion, expansion, and reputation of AlUla as a global tourism brand and destination in line with RCU’s strategic objectives. Prior to his role at the Royal Commission of AlUla, Jones served as the President and CEO of VisitDallas in Dallas, Texas, USA from 2003 to 2019.
“AlUla is a cultural oasis with incredible offerings that we cannot wait to share with the world,” says Jones. “We have assembled an outstanding international team to develop the ‘Experience AlUla’ brand, bringing the nature, archaeological treasures, cultural heritage, development of adventure travel experiences, luxury accommodations, and dining offerings to life for markets globally.”
De Souza has convened the international team to promote the destination, which in addition to Jones is comprised of Tyler Gosnell, Head of International Marketing; Zoe Shurgold, Head of Public Relations; Sami Rahman, Head of Digital; Charlotte Eland, Events Marketing Director; and Hector Paris, Head of Research and Customer Insights.
The marketing team joins de Souza and Jones, to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 tourism plan—which, in October 2019, saw the country open its long-shuttered boarders to international tourists.
The RCU team will promote the destination globally, including in the US market, highlighting AlUla’s history, cultural offerings, and modern architectural wonders, starting with the local reopening of the region on October 29, 2020 as part of a vision to establish AlUla as a global destination in north-west Saudi Arabia for cultural, historic and eco-tourism.
AlUla will celebrate with opening weekend activities for locals and visitors alike including access to three of the four main heritage sites which have been closed off to the public for more than two years. This includes the UNESCO World Heritage site, Hegrathe ancient Kingdom of Dadan and the Lions Tombs, the ‘open air’ library of Jabal Ikmah with its 500 plus inscriptions in more than 10 languages. All guided by local Rawi (Arabic storytellers) and archaeologists.