Saudi Arabia has launched a program to train 3,500 Saudi men and women for professional tour-guide licenses. The initiative reflects the Kingdom’s growing investment in tourism and its drive to build a national workforce for the expanding sector.
The Ministry of Tourism joined the Human Resources Development Fund “Hadaf” to deliver the Professional Tour Guide Licensing Support Program. The initiative carries the slogan “Ahlaha,” or “Its people,” and will prepare participants to meet licensing requirements before they begin guiding visitors across the Kingdom.
Why it matters: The kingdom’s tourism sector is expanding faster than almost anywhere else in the world, and Saudi authorities want citizens, not foreign labor, to greet the millions of visitors arriving each year. Consequently, the program links training directly to job-market needs and licensing requirements, so graduates can start guiding tours as soon as they qualify.
A Sector Breaking Records
That momentum has already outpaced Vision 2030’s original goal. The kingdom surpassed its initial target of 100 million annual visitors well ahead of schedule, so officials raised the bar to 150 million visitors by 2030. Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said the figures, unveiled at the World Economic Forum, “delivered another year of record performance and sustained growth,” and added that Saudi tourism “is no longer an emerging story” but rather a genuine growth engine.
By the numbers:
- 122 million domestic and international visitors welcomed in 2025, up 5% from 2024
- SR300 billion ($80 billion) in tourism spending in 2025, a 6% year-on-year increase
- 8% year-on-year growth in inbound visitors alone
- 5% growth in domestic trips, showing demand is rising both abroad and at home
- 150 million annual visitors is the kingdom’s revised Vision 2030 target, up from the original 100 million goal
Building the Workforce Behind the Boom
To sustain that pace, the ministry says it needs many more qualified Saudis working across hospitality and tourism. Therefore, the Ahlaha program equips the 3,500 participants with the knowledge, professional skills, and licensing prerequisites required to work as certified guides across the kingdom’s destinations, from historic sites to natural attractions.
The push fits a broader localization drive. Saudi Arabia continues to enforce localization across tourism occupations, and tourist guides must be Saudi nationals, while several other tourism roles face high Saudization quotas. Meanwhile, “Hadaf,” has become a key partner in this effort: the fund is a Saudi government initiative dedicated to developing the national workforce through financial and training assistance for employers and job seekers.
What’s next: Officials expect tourism’s economic role to keep growing. At October’s Future Investment Initiative conference, Al-Khateeb said the kingdom wants to “double that figure within the next five years, which will represent 10% of total jobs,” pointing to expanding segments like entertainment, sports, culture, and major events as key drivers.
Against that backdrop, the guide-licensing program is a small but telling piece of a much larger strategy. As Saudi Arabia races toward 150 million annual visitors and prepares to host global moments like Expo 2030, homegrown talent, not just new hotels and attractions, will ultimately shape how the kingdom welcomes the world.
