• Saudi Arabia’s national enabler of the tourism sector, the Tourism Development Fund (TDF), has celebrated the first cohort of the "TDF Grow Accelerator" programme in KAFD Conference Centre in Riyadh.
• The demo day witnessed the graduation of 15 startups working in the tourism space, including 11 local startups and four regional and international projects, which went through more than 20 training and guidance sessions.
• These startups succeeded in attracting investments worth over $5 million to date.

Press release:

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" programme in KAFD Conference Centre 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 Saudi Arabia’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 participants, stating, “We are proud of what these distinguished startups have accomplished during their journey within the TDF Grow Accelerator Programme. This success reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting entrepreneurial ideas and promising initiatives that contribute to efficiently implementing the national tourism strategy and reinforcing the Kingdom’s standing as a global tourism destination.”

The ceremony included a review of the programme'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 startups and four regional and international projects. This empowerment programme contributed to creating 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 programme.

It is worth noting that the Tourism Grow Accelerator Programme 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.