Coinciding with global celebrations of World Tourism Day on September 27, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism announced that the Kingdom welcomed approximately 60 million domestic and international tourists during the first six months of the year. According to official statistical releases, total visitor spending across the first half reached 150 billion Saudi riyals ($40 billion), marking a 10 percent increase compared to the same period a year earlier.
Inbound international tourism served as the primary engine of the Kingdom's balance-of-payments travel surplus. Foreign visitors accounted for 92.6 billion riyals ($24.7 billion) in inbound expenditure during the first half, generating a record travel account surplus of 41.6 billion riyals. Leisure and cultural tourism—ranging from Red Sea coastal resorts and UNESCO World Heritage sites in AlUla and Diriyah to major entertainment seasons in Riyadh and Jeddah—expanded by more than 650 percent compared to pre-pandemic baselines.
Leading G20 Nations in International Arrival and Revenue Growth
The milestone figures were independently corroborated by the latest UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) World Tourism Barometer, which ranked Saudi Arabia first among all Group of Twenty (G20) economies in both the percentage growth of international tourist arrivals (+73 percent compared to 2019) and international tourism receipts (+207 percent).
Tourism officials credited the surge to the rapid expansion of the Saudi electronic visa (e-visa) program, which now covers citizens of 66 countries alongside residents of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, coupled with new direct international air routes connecting more than 170 global destinations to Saudi airports.
“Saudi Arabia has firmly established itself as one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the world, driven by historic e-visa expansion, Red Sea hospitality projects, and cultural heritage investments.”
Scaling Toward 150 Million Annual Visits Under Vision 2030
Having already surpassed its original Vision 2030 target of 100 million annual tourists in late 2023—seven years ahead of schedule—Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman elevated the Kingdom's official decade-end goal to 150 million annual visits, comprising 80 million domestic trips and 70 million international arrivals by 2030.
To accommodate the projected influx, Saudi Arabia is investing more than $800 billion into tourism infrastructure, aviation hubs, and hospitality training over the decade. Flagship developments including The Red Sea, AMAALA, Qiddiya, Diriyah Gate, and Riyadh Air are expected to add more than 320,000 new hotel rooms and elevate tourism's contribution to 10 percent of Saudi gross domestic product.
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