Diver under water

Service

  • Experience and Design
  • Strategy and Transformation

Case study

Creating a diving destination

Every year, an estimated 10 million divers and snorkelers take part in dive tourism activities worldwide. Scuba diving is a uniquely dynamic component of global tourism and is expected to be worth more than US$17m by 2032. How can a developing region in Saudi Arabia break into this market and achieve its ambition of becoming the most coveted scuba diving destination in the world?

Before you continue reading, if you’d like to learn how we could help you achieve your vision get in touch today.

Diver taking a photo under water

Challenge

A small and successful collection of diving companies have already established themselves in select locations on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. We were asked to identify the building blocks and potential service offerings that together could enable a diving destination that would rival the most desirable and popular resorts in the world – in a highly competitive worldwide market.

Solution

Understanding the consumers

The first step was to make sure that we and the client had a full understanding of what scuba divers of all levels of ability need, want and expect. This meant carrying out extensive and detailed research, using our own data and exploring research carried out by others, to make sure that we had a full picture of the requirements and pain points of potential customers. From first-timers to rescue divers, we quickly became well acquainted with dive consumer expectations and challenges.

We designed and distributed surveys that collected the views of a large number of divers and other interested parties, and carried out extensive interviews with scuba enthusiasts and professionals, their families, and a wide selection of companies that serve the diving market. We made sure that this work was put in context, and used market and technology scanning to identify the trends that were shaping the industry and influencing target customers.

100+

divers surveyed

30+

divers interviewed

25+

service offerings proposed

Result

A playbook of services

A series of exercises allowed us to fully explore all the options with our client – this included a discussion that was based around our assessment of the high-level details of the proposed business, and a detailed examination of all the people involved, including management, staff, the supply chain and customers. Finally, we prepared a visualization of a typical customer journey matched with the people and processes that would deliver it.

Ultimately, this work culminated in a playbook of service offerings which can be rolled out over the coming years to achieve our client’s vision.

Diver swimming to the surface

A global tourism destination

In line with Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is working tirelessly to grow into the next global tourist destination and attract 100 million visitors each year. To achieve this goal, it’s imperative that they understand the expectations and challenges tourists are facing. Our playbook will be a useful guide for attracting scuba divers and will serve as a roadmap for building a dynamic diving destination in Saudi Arabia in the years to come.

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