Saudi tourism is gaining momentum and global recognition 
The Saudi tourism sector’s recent achievements were globally applauded by esteemed international organizations, such as the UN, and the World Travel and Tourism Council.
This international welcoming and recognition of Saudi tourism is due to the Kingdom having managed to host 106.2 million tourists in 2023, a remarkable increase of 56 percent compared with 2019 and 12 percent compared with 2022.
This achievement has surpassed the target previously set in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 to reach 100 million tourists. Additionally, it has positioned the Saudi Arabia as an emerging global tourism powerhouse.
Achieving the milestone seven years ahead of the initial goal has encouraged the Kingdom to set a new ambitious target: to host 150 million tourists by 2032 (70 million internationally and 80 million domestically).
It is worth noting that the Kingdom hosted 27.4 million international and 79.3 million domestic tourists in 2023, witnessing 65 percent and 2 percent growth compared with 2022, respectively.
The tourism sector has become important to the national economy, as spending on tourism by domestic and international tourists exceeded SR250 billion ($66.7 billion) in 2023. The sector is set to contribute 10 percent to the non-oil gross domestic product and create 1 million job opportunities by 2030. This spending represented more than 4 percent of the Kingdom’s GDP and 7 percent of the non-oil GDP, highlighting the significance of the tourism sector to the Kingdom’s economy.
According to a World Tourism Barometer report released in January 2024, Saudi Arabia topped UN Tourism’s ranking for the growth of international tourist arrivals in 2023 compared with 2019 among large destinations, achieving a 56 percent increase in international tourist arrivals.
I believe that Saudi Arabia has succeeded in turning the tourism sector into an effective contributor to the growth of the national economy and the creation of job opportunities for Saudi nationals.
Additionally, the report indicated that Saudi Arabia recorded a remarkable tourism recovery rate of 156 percent in international tourist arrivals in 2023 compared with 2019.
These notable achievements have positioned the Kingdom as a leader in the Middle East’s global tourism recovery. It was the only region to surpass pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, with a 122 percent recovery rate in international tourist arrivals in 2023 compared with 2019.
Also, Saudi Arabia is ranked first in the growth of international tourist arrivals in 2023 compared with 2019 among large tourism destinations.
The tourism sector achieved a significant surplus in the balance of payments for travel items in the first quarter of 2023, amounting to SR22.8 billion, compared with a deficit of SR1.6 billion in the same quarter of 2022.
This surplus resulted from the significant growth of incoming tourism revenues by about 225 percent compared with the same quarter of 2022, totalling about SR37 billion.
I believe that Saudi Arabia has succeeded in turning the tourism sector into an effective contributor to the growth of the national economy and the creation of job opportunities for Saudi nationals, especially considering the target set by the Kingdom’s vision to create 1 million jobs and contribute 10 percent to the non-oil GDP by 2030.
• Talat Zaki Hafiz is an economist and financial analyst. X: @TalatHafiz
