Economic Growth in Tourist Destinations Driven by Government–Private Sector Partnership
Dawi Al‑Ghamdi, a specialist in destination development, hailed the recent economic expansion across Saudi tourism destinations and attributed it to effective cooperation between government bodies and the private sector.
Speaking to Al‑Ekhbariya, Al‑Ghamdi said this integration of public and private efforts underpins the sector’s performance and supports the Kingdom’s strategic targets under Vision 2030, including the aim to welcome 150 million visitors by 2030 and to create new employment opportunities.
Ministry of Tourism
He noted that coordinated initiatives led by the Ministry of Tourism and other agencies are being implemented to reach those objectives, with planning and investment focused on improving infrastructure, services, and destination readiness.
Al‑Ghamdi also added that six tourist destinations were recently developed or upgraded with distinctive, high‑quality offerings, strengthening their capacity to receive visitors and generating positive economic returns for the Kingdom.
The tourism sector’s momentum is reflected in recent seasonality and annual reports: during the Saudi Summer season destinations across the country received more than 32 million domestic and international visitors, a 26% increase over the previous season, while tourism expenditure exceeded SAR 53.2 billion, up 15%, according to the Quality of Life Program’s 2025 annual report.
Internationally, Saudi Arabia led global growth in tourism receipts in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2019, according to the UN World Tourism Barometer, and ranked among the top countries for increases in visitor spending.
On arrivals, the Kingdom recorded a 102% rise in international tourist numbers in Q1 2025 versus Q1 2019 — far above the global average growth of 3% and the Middle East regional average of 44% — earning Saudi Arabia third place worldwide and second regionally for growth in international arrivals.
These figures, Al‑Ghamdi said, demonstrate how strategic public–private collaboration, together with targeted destination development, can accelerate tourism recovery and position Saudi Arabia as a leading global destination for both spending and visitor growth.
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