$80 billion.. Saudi Arabia tops 5 Arab countries attracting tourism
The tourism sector is one of the most important pillars of achieving the Kingdom's Vision 2030, to contribute to diversifying the base of the national economy and reducing dependence on oil.
Shrouq
Global tourism has rebounded over the past year, recovering from the effects of the Corona pandemic, which ravaged travel and tourism for two full years.
The number of foreign visitors in the Arab region is close to the record levels achieved before 2020.
Saudi Arabia is the first Arab in tourism
Based on the numbers, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia topped the list of Arab countries that most attract tourists, with an average of 18 million visitors during 2022, according to the latest statistics published by the World Tourism Organization for the first 9 months of last year, and it was reported by Russia Today in October 2022.
According to Saudi Arabia's goals, the sector is poised to become one of the main sources of diversified economy in the Kingdom, supported by huge investments in entertainment and tourism infrastructure, and the launch of mega projects such as the NEOM city project on the Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia targets $80 billion in tourism
Saudi Arabia aims to raise the tourism sector's participation in the gross domestic product to 10% by 2030, thus injecting between 70 and 80 billion dollars into the economy by 2030.
According to "Sky News", Saudi Arabia targets nearly 100 million visitors by 2030, as part of the economic transformation and diversification plan.
The recovery of foreign tourism in the UAE
Tourism in the UAE also recovered from the pandemic, and the number of international visitors to Dubai increased during the past year 2022, and the UAE received 14.36 million international visitors from January to December 2022, an increase of 97%, compared to 2021, during which the city received 7.28 million visitors.
As for the city of Abu Dhabi, it revealed a noticeable increase in the number of visitors in 2022, and the total number of passengers reached 15.9 million passengers through the emirate’s airports, more than 3 times the number during the same period last year, according to what Al Bayan newspaper reported on February 9, 2023.
Record revenues for Egypt from tourism in 2022
The number of tourists who visited Egypt during the past year 2022 reached about 11.7 million, which is a record number for Egypt, according to a government statement on March 15, 2023, indicating that it is estimated that the current year will witness a growth in foreign tourism of 28%, which contributes to bringing the number of tourists to 15 million.
In a statement published on February 8, 2023, the Egyptian Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohamed Maait, announced that the tourism sector in Egypt achieved revenues of $10.7 billion in 2022, adding that this came as a result of strong inflows from various markets such as the Gulf countries, Germany and Poland.
Egypt targets 30 million tourists in 2027
Egypt aspires to reach foreign tourism rates by 2027 to 30 million tourists annually, according to Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, in a statement he published on March 16, 2023.
Madbouly called on the private sector in Egypt to participate in doubling the capacity of hotel rooms, explaining that the current capacity of hotel rooms is 230,000 rooms.
Morocco restores the tourism sector
Morocco recovered during 2022 about 84% of its tourist flows before the Corona pandemic in 2020, according to what was quoted by the Moroccan News Agency, Moroccan Minister of Tourism, Fatima Zahra Amor, on Monday, January 23, 2023.
Amor said that tourist inflows to Morocco during the past year amounted to about 11 million tourists, with revenues exceeding 81.7 billion Moroccan dirhams ($8 billion). Over the past year, Morocco provided support for tourism promotion and marketing worth two billion dirhams ($196 million).
Strong growth in Tunisia
In Tunisia, the number of tourist arrivals during 2022 recorded about 6.4 million tourists, a growth of 160% compared to 2021, according to the General Administration of Border Police and Foreigners at the Tunisian Ministry of Interior.
Tourism revenues in Tunisia increased by 83.1%, to reach 4.2 billion Tunisian dinars ($1.4 billion), an increase of 83% over the revenues achieved during 2021.
