Established in March 2020 by King Salman against the backdrop of the surging COVID-19 pandemic,[1][2] it is the official promoter of the Visit Saudi program[3] and supervises tourism-related marketing campaigns domestically and internationally.

[4] The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) was established on March 10, 2020, through a royal decree issued by King Salman after approval from the Council of Ministers and upon recommendations from the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.

[6] In December 2020, the body organized the Sheeta Haulaka (Arabic: الشتاء حولك, romanized: al-Šitāʾ Ḥaūlaka, lit.

'Winter is around you') programme, which lasted between 10 December and the end of March 2021 that saw 17 destinations being selected within Saudi Arabia, allowing tourists and travelers to explore the country's geographical and climatic diversity during the winter season.

[8] In December 2021, it launched the Ruh as-Saudiyah programme (Arabic: روح السعودية, romanized: Rūḥ as-Saʿūdīyyah, lit.