Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khateeb highlighted the remarkable achievements and progress made in the Saudi Arabian tourism sector at a press conference held by the Saudi Arabian International Communications Center in Abha city, Asir Governorate.
Boosted by the support of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the sector recorded a record inflow of 60 million tourists and spending of 143 billion Saudi riyals in the first half of 2024, according to preliminary data.
“Vision 2030 focuses on strengthening the tourism sector as a key driver of economic and social development,” Al-Khatib said.
He noted that the national tourism strategy, launched in September 2019, aims to promote the exploration of Saudi Arabia’s diverse regions, including its coastlines, mountains, plains, cultural heritage and rich history. The introduction of tourist visas has enabled visitors to discover the Kingdom’s treasures, customs and traditions.
The minister highlighted the ambitious goal of the national tourism strategy to attract more than 150 million tourists by 2030. Significant progress was made last year, with Saudi Arabia welcoming 109 million domestic and international tourists. This growth is expected to help tourism account for 10 percent of total GDP by 2030, with employment expected to increase from around 650,000 in 2019 to 1.6 million by 2030.
Al-Khateeb also highlighted the important role of the Tourism Development Fund in financing tourism projects, which has allocated SAR 7.4 billion to support more than 100 projects in different regions, bringing the total to more than SAR 35 billion.
The Ministry of Tourism also released its annual statistical report recording achievements and targets in the tourism sector for 2023. According to the report, the total number of domestic and international tourists in 2023 will reach 109 million, representing a 16% increase compared to 2022. Of these, more than 27 million will be foreign tourists.
Provisional figures for the first half of 2024 show that 60 million domestic and international tourists visited the country during the period, spending more than 143 billion riyals. Tourism directly contributed 5% of GDP during the same period.
Regarding the e-visa, Al-Khateeb said the Kingdom implemented it for selected countries in 2019. Due to high demand, the number of eligible countries has now reached 66, with Saudi Arabia being one of the fastest countries to obtain a visa.
