Exploring the Supply Side of Food and Beverage Festivals in Saudi Arabia

Recently, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) announced its intention to begin implementing a tourist visa regime to streamline entry of tourists into the country and, therefore, attract more international visitors. Food and Beverage festivals (F&B) are targeted as a crucial part of the events sector in Saudi Arabia as they align well with agricultural traditions and Middle East culture to attract both domestic and foreign tourist. The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics, management, and goals of F&B festivals in Saudi Arabia. F&B event organizers were utilized to collect data regarding seven established F&B festivals that have been held for least the last 5 years. The results revealed that the size of the festivals ranged from 10,000 to 250,000 in annual attendance. While the length of the festivals averaged from 4 to as many as 35 days in length. Most of the festivals were held during peak vacation periods in Saudi Arabia when students have off from school, which coincided with the seasonal harvest of many of the festival themes. These festivals generally do not charge an entrance fee and attract all social categories of visitors. Some of the main activities provided to visitors are tasting products, viewing performances, and learning about regional agriculture traditions. The goal for these festivals were centered primarily on promoting regional agricultural products, attracting domestic and international tourists, in addition to providing educational programming for farmers and suppliers. In almost all of the festivals the primary organization and management is structured around governmental bodies that include national and regional organizations