What is the purpose of allocating $160 million?
Introducing tourist destinations in Saudi Arabia.
How much tourism spending achieved in Saudi Arabia?
Achieved an increase of 45% compared to the first quarter of 2022.
Saudi Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khatib, announced that the Kingdom has allocated 600 million riyals ($160 million) to launch the summer season campaign, with the aim of introducing tourist destinations in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Khatib affirmed, during the Minister of Tourism’s monthly meeting with investors in the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia, yesterday, Friday, that his ministry “is intensifying its efforts and preparation to launch this year’s summer season campaign, as all sectors have completed their preparations for a strong and attractive tourism season.”
Al-Khatib indicated that “the growth rate of total domestic tourism spending, in the first quarter of this year, amounted to 45% compared to the first quarter of 2022.”
He indicated that the number of tourists coming from abroad for all purposes to the Kingdom reached the highest quarterly rate, during the first quarter of this year, to 7.8 million tourists, with a growth rate of 64% compared to the first quarter of 2019, that is, before the Corona pandemic.
He pointed out that the percentage of tourist visitors from the Gulf countries and the Middle East achieved a growth of 107% compared to 2019, while the growth rate of the number of tourists from East Asia reached 49%, and the percentage reached 50% for those coming from European countries, especially Turkey, France, Russia, Italy and Germany, according to what he said. The official Saudi Press Agency, “SPA”, quoted the minister.
He pointed out that the number of tourists coming for the purpose of entertainment and holidays increased by 581%, as a result of the electronic visa facilities and the increase in the tourist supply in the Kingdom’s destinations, according to Al-Khatib, who did not mention their number.
He stated that Makkah Al-Mukarramah topped the destination of visitors from abroad with 4.4 million tourists, and Riyadh came in second place in terms of the number of tourists due to the increase in those coming on tourist visas and those coming to visit family and friends.
He pointed out that “Dammam and Al-Khobar achieved an increase in the total number of tourists by 96% over the first quarter of 2019, due to the increase in the number of visitors from Bahrain and Qatar for the purposes of entertainment and visiting family and friends.”
“The Kingdom plans to attract 100 million visitors by 2030,” he said, noting that “the tourism sector needs to pump more than $200 billion by 2030 to bridge the gap in supply.”
The Kingdom aims to attract investments worth 220 billion riyals ($58.6 billion) in the tourism sector by 2023, and 500 billion riyals ($133.3 billion) by 2030.
