Abstract

Objectives: Its primary aims are to investigate the innovative marketing communication strategies used in Saudi Arabia's tourism sector and explore gaps in current approaches to propose improvements that enhance audience reach, engagement, and international positioning. Methods: It employs a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with a sample of 20 tourists (10 from Saudi Arabia and 10 from Spain), to provide in-depth insights into current perceptions of tourism communication strategies and potential communication gaps. Results: The findings reveal that tourists' interest is captured through social media, word of mouth, and transportation advertisements. They also reveal that Saudi Arabia's unique culture, social media influencers' emotional storytelling, and the cost of travel were the main motivations for travelling to Saudi Arabia, as well as apps offering tour packages. Conclusions: This study adapted the AIDA model to innovative marketing strategies in the tourism sector. It contributes to the literature on tourism promotion in emerging markets by offering actionable recommendations for refining Saudi Arabia's marketing communication strategies to better align with national and international tourist expectations.