Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Minister of Tourism, announced that Saudi Arabia today holds about 30% of the tourism market in the Middle East, both in terms of the number of international tourists and their spending, explaining that the Kingdom received about 30 million inbound tourists from abroad in 2025, with total spending exceeding SAR 172 billion.
This came during his participation in the 52nd meeting of the UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East, where he reviewed the transformation the sector has witnessed in recent years and stressed that the Kingdom has become a key player in regional tourism, not only in terms of numbers but also in terms of spending value and the quality of the tourism experience, according to a post by the Ministry of Tourism on LinkedIn.
In a related context, Al-Khateeb explained during the high-level ministerial session titled "When Government Works to Support Business", as part of the PIF Private Sector Forum, that tourism has become one of the most prominent drivers of economic diversification in the Kingdom, after its contribution to GDP rose from about 3.5% in 2019 to 5% currently, with targets to raise it to 10% in the coming phase, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
He added that the number of people working in the sector has exceeded one million jobs, compared with about 750,000 jobs previously, stressing that tourism is one of the most job-generating sectors globally, with its average contribution to the global economy at about 10%.
He noted that the number of travellers worldwide reached about 1.5 billion last year, with expectations that it will rise to 2 billion travellers over the next five years, boosting growth opportunities for tourist destinations in the region.
He stressed that the Kingdom aims to raise the sector's direct contribution to GDP from SAR 300 billion to SAR 600 billion, supported by investments estimated at about SAR 450 billion between 2020 and 2030, divided equally between the Public Investment Fund and the private sector.
He expected the number of tourists to reach 150 million in the coming period, compared with 122 million tourists currently, amid continued infrastructure development and stimulation of investment in various activities of the sector.
To view the post on the Saudi Press Agency website, click here.
