Saudi Arabia’s tourism transformation is changing how the world experiences the Kingdom. Through Vision 2030, tourism is no longer viewed only as travel; it is a national platform for cultural pride, economic diversification, job creation, and global connection. At the center of this momentum are leaders who understand that destinations are not built by architecture alone. They are built through stories, people, memory, authenticity, and the careful protection of place. AbdulAziz AlSanousi is one of those leaders.

As Senior Cultural Tourism Manager at NEOM, AlSanousi works at the intersection of heritage preservation, destination development, and global innovation. His career spans more than 20 years across tourism, heritage, hospitality, technology, training, education, entrepreneurship, and national-scale initiatives. Today, his work helps connect NEOM’s future-facing ambition with the deep cultural roots of Tabuk and the wider Kingdom.

Early Life and Education

AbdulAziz AlSanousi’s foundation combines business discipline with technological curiosity. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, before completing a Master of Science in Management of Technology, with a minor in Telecommunication System Management, from Murray State University. That combination shaped a leader who understands both operations and innovation. It is a strong fit for cultural tourism, a sector that must preserve identity while also meeting the expectations of modern travelers.

His learning journey continued through certifications in leadership, innovation culture, sustainability, conservation of heritage sites, and leadership development. Fluent in Arabic and professionally fluent in English, AlSanousi is well positioned to build partnerships across government, private-sector, academic, and international tourism ecosystems.

Building NEOM’s Cultural Tourism Engine

At NEOM, AlSanousi currently serves as Senior Cultural Tourism Manager, where he develops and promotes cultural tourism initiatives, builds partnerships, and drives innovation to enhance cultural authenticity and attract visitors. Before this role, he served as Heritage Communication Manager, overseeing heritage surveys, protection projects, and cultural heritage content to safeguard and promote NEOM’s rich heritage. His work reflects a clear principle: the future of tourism must be rooted in authenticity. At NEOM, that means ensuring cultural heritage is not treated as an afterthought, but as a foundation for the visitor journey.

From coastal heritage along the Red Sea to desert and mountain narratives inland, AlSanousi’s role helps connect landscapes with meaning. His work brings together preservation, storytelling, interpretation, and experience design so visitors do not only see a destination; they understand the place behind it.

Inspiring a Workforce for the Future

AlSanousi’s impact is also deeply people-focused. As an Accredited National Trainer with the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations, he has contributed to professionalizing the tour guide profession in Saudi Arabia and preparing guides to represent the Kingdom with knowledge, confidence, and cultural care. He also served as a Founding Board Member of the Saudi Tour Guides Association, helping create a sustainable environment for the profession, raise public awareness, support policy development, encourage Saudi youth to join the field, and improve the quality of services provided by tour operators and guides.

His commitment to talent development also appeared in education. As Director of Cooperative Training and Placement at Prince Sultan College for Tourism and Business, Alfaisal University, he coordinated student and graduate placement services, employer relationships, career assessments, and job-readiness support. Together, these roles show a leader who understands that tourism growth depends on people. Hotels, destinations, and heritage sites need trained Saudis who can tell the Kingdom’s stories with accuracy, warmth, and professionalism.

Creative Innovation & Global Platforms

AlSanousi’s work also shows how creativity can elevate destination storytelling. His involvement in NEOM’s “Snaps of NEOM” campaign was publicly recognized when the campaign won Best Destination Campaign 2025 at Athar, The Saudi Festival of Creativity. This recognition reflects a destination-branding approach rooted in place. Instead of presenting NEOM through generic imagery, the campaign highlighted natural identity, landscape diversity, and emotional connection.

AlSanousi has also engaged with major tourism conversations. In 2025, he shared his attendance at the TOURISE Summit in Riyadh, describing it as a global gathering focused on the future of travel, sustainability, and international collaboration. Through these platforms, AlSanousi’s work connects local delivery with global learning. His presence in such conversations reflects the larger shift taking place in Saudi Arabia: the Kingdom is not only developing destinations, but also contributing to the future direction of global tourism.

Heritage Advocacy & National Impact

Heritage is the thread that connects AlSanousi’s career. Across his work in cultural tourism, tour guide development, hospitality, and NEOM, he has focused on turning historical and cultural assets into meaningful visitor experiences that create economic value while protecting the identity of place. This approach is central to Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia’s tourism future is not built by separating the past from the future, but by allowing them to strengthen each other. Cultural heritage gives destinations depth. It gives visitors a reason to care. It gives communities pride and a role in shaping the story.

AlSanousi’s experience across Historic Jeddah Festival, tour guide training, hospitality, digital platforms, and NEOM shows a consistent commitment to cultural storytelling. At Historic Jeddah Festival, he managed website and social media work for Kona Kida and Ramadana Kida, helping bring heritage experiences to digital audiences. His work reminds us that heritage preservation is not passive. It requires communication, training, protection, visitor awareness, and the ability to translate culture into experiences that are respectful, engaging, and economically sustainable.

Entrepreneurial Mindset & Cross‑Sector Foundations

Before his national-scale work at NEOM, AlSanousi built broad experience across entrepreneurship, hospitality, technology, and corporate leadership. He was founder and partner of Hayat Haql Hotel, owned Global Destinations Tours, co-founded Alnzeel.com as an online reservation and accommodation management system, and owned Tech Solution Est., which provided marketing, social media, web design, mobile application, and digital services.

These ventures gave him hands-on knowledge of tourism operations, customer experience, digital marketing, booking systems, and destination services. They also reflect a practical entrepreneurial mindset: understanding what visitors need, how businesses operate, and how technology can support tourism growth. His earlier roles in Deloitte, Saudi Electricity Company, Haql Electricity Company, and Jeddah Wadi added further depth in human resources, Saudization, internal audit, risk, administration, innovation projects, governance, and organizational systems. This cross-sector background helps explain his ability to operate in complex environments. Cultural tourism requires more than passion for heritage. It requires planning, partnerships, standards, budgets, workforce development, risk awareness, and execution.

Recognition and Legacy

AlSanousi’s recognition includes the “Snaps of NEOM” campaign’s Best Destination Campaign 2025 award at Athar, along with public appreciation for his work in cultural tourism, tour guiding, and heritage communication. But his deeper legacy is people-shaped. It can be seen in trained guides who understand their role as cultural ambassadors, students who see tourism as a serious career path, and communities whose stories are shared with respect.

As Saudi Arabia moves toward Vision 2030, AbdulAziz AlSanousi’s journey offers a clear blueprint for cultural tourism leadership: protect the story, empower the workforce, build partnerships, and execute with creativity and care. His work ensures that visitors do not only come to Saudi Arabia to see new destinations. They come to understand the Kingdom’s identity, heritage, and future.

Discover more inspiring stories at Saudi Wins, where Vision 2030 comes to life.