Saudi Arabia’s ministry of tourism announced that the total number of tourists reached 53.6 million in the first half of 2023. The number of incoming tourists reached 14.6 million, while local tourists reached 39 million.
Meanwhile, total tourism spending reached SAR150 billion. Inbound tourism recorded SAR86.9 billion, while local tourism revenues amounted to SAR63.1 billion during the same period.
Saudi tourism sector
The Saudi Ministry of Tourism issued preliminary data for tourism statistics for the first half of the year 2023. The data revealed that the improved performance of the tourism sector in the Kingdom confirms the effectiveness of tourism sector strategies. This was done by raising the quality of tourism services and products in addition to improving the visa structure.
Inbound tourism achieved record numbers in the first half of 2023, recording a remarkable 142 percent growth in the number of tourists. The rate of tourism spending also recorded a growth of 132 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
Leisure visits and holidays
Following Saudi Arabia’s focus on developing the tourism sector, the number of incoming tourists has generally grown and leisure and holiday visits have topped the list. leisure and holiday visits achieved a growth rate of 347 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
Meanwhile, domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia also recorded an increase in tourism spending by 16 percent in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. This growth comes as a result of an increase in the average length of stays from 4.6 nights in the first half of 2022 to 6.3 nights in the first half of 2023.
The highest number of tourists came for leisure and holidays at approximately 16.6 million tourists. They represent 43 percent of the total tourists with a growth rate of 18 percent compared to the first half of 2022.
Outbound tourism
Outbound tourism in Saudi Arabia recorded an increase in the number of tourists from citizens and non-Saudi residents by 37 percent compared to the first half of the year 2022. The rate of outbound tourism spending also increased by 74 percent in the same period.
The increase in the overall number of outbound tourists is due to the return of travel conditions in most destinations around the world to pre-pandemic conditions. The beginning of the summer season and school holidays in June also contributed to this growth.
Moreover, outbound resident tourists constitute 45 percent of the total outbound tourists. That is an increase of 24 percent compared to the same period in 2022. Meanwhile, their share of total tourism spending outside the Kingdom reached about 66 percent. Additionally, visiting friends and relatives accounted for 67 percent of the total resident outbound tourists. Meanwhile, the average length of stay for non-Saudi residents for the same purpose was 45.5 nights, compared to 19.3 nights in the same period last year. This contributed to an increase in outbound tourism spending by residents of Saudi Arabia by 109 percent during the same period.
Read: 20 percent increase in tourist arrivals: Middle East outperforms pre-pandemic levels
Saudi outbound tourists
On the other hand, the number of outbound Saudi tourists increased by 49 percent, especially to neighboring countries. Spending by outbound Saudi tourists also recorded an increase of 32 percent compared to the first half of 2022. The average spending per night decreased from SAR559 to SAR332 for outbound Saudi tourists during the same period.
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