The Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, commended the remarkable progress of Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry.
The Kingdom recorded a 73 percent increase in international tourist arrivals during the first seven months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2019. This surge has positioned Saudi Arabia as a leader among G20 nations in both the growth rate of international visitors and tourism revenues.
Additionally, international tourism revenues experienced an impressive rise of 207 percent, as reported in the UNWTO Barometer published in September 2024. Pololikashvili emphasized that this 73 percent growth in international arrivals reflects Saudi Arabia’s expanding influence on the global stage.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia experienced a 56 percent surge in international tourist arrivals compared to 2019, welcoming a total of 27.4 million visitors. This remarkable milestone placed the Kingdom at the top of the UN Tourism Data Dashboard for growth rates among leading tourist destinations.
Surpassing Vision 2030 goals
Additionally, the travel account in the balance of payments reported a historic surplus of SAR 48 billion in 2023, marking a 38 percent increase from the previous year. In September 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) emphasized the significance of Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector as a key driver of the nation’s economic diversification in its latest Article IV Consultation report for 2024.
The IMF also acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s success in surpassing the Vision 2030 objective of attracting 100 million annual visitors by 2023, achieving this goal seven years ahead of schedule.
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