In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko unpack one of the biggest stories in global tourism right now: Saudi Arabia’s explosive push to become a world travel hub.

Fresh off a reporting trip to Riyadh, Sarah shares on-the-ground insights from Tourise—including the scale of development, the country’s prestige mega-projects, and the challenges of turning early momentum into mass-market appeal. Seth analyzes Saudi’s real tourism numbers and what they reveal about the nation’s long-term strategy.

The episode also breaks down Google’s latest move into AI-powered travel booking and what it could mean for OTAs like Expedia and Booking. Plus, the hosts revisit the Marriott and Sonder fallout, debate a controversial bet tied to the Epstein files, and wrap the show with their weekly winners and losers ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EF World Journeys⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Inside Saudi’s Big Tourism Bet and Google’s Booking Disruption