Saudi Arabia ranks first among the G20 in terms of international tourist growth

The Saudi Ministry of Tourism indicated in a tweet on the “X” platform that the Kingdom now occupies first place among the G20 countries in terms of the growth rate of the number of international tourists.

50% in the number of international tourists

Saudi Arabia witnessed a 50% increase in the number of international tourists during the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period in 2019, that is, before the “Covid-19” pandemic.

Tourism sector

The Saudi Minister of Tourism, Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khatib, confirmed that the Kingdom is the fastest growing country among the G20 countries in the tourism sector, as the number of tourists in the Kingdom has reached more than 30 million tourists, which represents 40% of the targeted number of the tourism sector, and it is also one of the most important sectors that... Contributes to economic growth.

800 billion dollars in the tourism sector

The Minister stated during a dialogue session held last October, entitled “A Vision for the Growth Industry” within the work of the Future Investment Initiative, that work is underway to raise the contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the gross domestic product from 3% in 2019 to 10% by 2030, and to attract 100 million tourists from The domestic and global arena.

He pointed out that the Kingdom is investing more than 800 billion dollars in the tourism sector, through a number of projects such as the Red Sea project, the Diriyah and Qiddiya projects, and a number of private projects in various regions of the Kingdom that contribute to the advancement of the tourism sector, stating that the Kingdom will be one of the first countries in Ease of doing business through legislation and laws to be among the most efficient sectors.

International tourists

By 2030, Minister Ahmed Al-Khatib said that the Kingdom has raised its goal to 150 million trips annually, compared to 100 million trips in previous plans, and of this targeted total, the Kingdom aims to achieve an equal distribution between about 75 million international tourists and 75 million domestic visitors.

 as well as Al-Khatib pointed out that “travel and tourism are two very important sectors, as they are growing at a pace that exceeds global economic growth,” adding that “the expansion of the middle class in India and China will certainly encourage more travel.”

In October 2023, Mahmoud Abdel Hadi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism for Empowering Tourist Destinations in Saudi Arabia, said: There are several factors that contributed to this significant increase in the number of visitors to the Kingdom.

 among these factors comes the great diversity of the tourism supply in the Kingdom, which includes many tourist destinations such as cities. Large areas, coastal areas, and mountainous destinations, and he pointed out that the ease of access to the Kingdom and the availability of the electronic visa, which was expanded to include more countries, also contributed to increasing visits and spending in the Kingdom.

Tourism industry in the Kingdom

Regarding the future of the tourism industry in the Kingdom, Abdul Hadi explained that there are multiple priorities, including developing human capital, diversifying tourist destinations, and attracting investment in these destinations. 

These destinations must be prepared and attractive to tourists and investors to ensure sustainable growth in the sector.

 Abdul Hadi added that the private sector plays a role. It is important in developing tourism in the Kingdom, and this is supported by the establishment of the Tourism Development Fund, which aims to finance private sector projects. Work has also been done to facilitate the investment environment and make it more attractive to the private sector.