KSA was ranked second among the world’s fastest-expanding traveling destinations, in terms of the growth rate of visitor arrivals, according to research from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), issued in January 2024.
According to UNWTO report, KSA had a 156 percent surge in tourist arrivals in 2023 as compared to 2019.
KSA Topped The Group of Twenty (G20) Countries
Moreover, KSA outperformed the other G20 nations in terms of the growth rate of new visitors during 2023.
KSA tourism sites increased in both local and foreign tourists in 2023, breaking previous records for foreign visitor spending.
Over 100 billion riyals were spent overall by visitors in the first three quarters of 2023.
KSA Tourism Achievements
The Kingdom’s tourist industry has made a substantial contribution to promoting worldwide growth in the tourism sector, confirmed by WTO.
Thanks to the Kingdom’s successes , the Middle East is the only area to have had tourism growth comparable to pre-pandemic levels.
Because of KSA’s achievements, the number of visitors visiting the Middle East recovered to 122 percent in 2023, in comparison with 2019.
Balance of Payment
For the first three quarters of 2023, KSA tourism sales surpassed SAR 100 billion, exceeding the initial expectation of SAR 37.8 billion.
This indicates a stunning 72% growth over the same time in 2022.
These accomplishments demonstrate travelers’ confidence in Saudi Arabia’s varied and alluring offerings.
Additionally, it reinforces the country’s standing as a top vacation destination worldwide.
KSA Efforts for Enhancing Tourism
Saudi Arabia has partnered with the commercial sector to develop approximately 1,500 activities to encourage tourists coming to KSA. This will attract 2 million tourists annually, according to Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority.
Hamidaddin confirmed, at the second Saudi Tourism Forum in Riyadh on Monday, that hotels have raised the standard of services demanded by various tourist attractions in many languages to take care of visitors.
International Tourism Income
WTO estimated the direct tourism will contribute 3 percent of the world gross output in 2023 amounting to $3.3.
WTO expected that by 2024, tourism will have fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and will have increased by 2% from 2019.
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