Tourism spending falls 7% to SAR 48 billion
Data issued by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism show that the number of tourists arriving in the Kingdom from abroad reached about 8.3 million in the first quarter of 2026, down 13% compared with the same period of 2025, while total inbound tourism spending reached about SAR 48 billion, down 7% year on year.
The ministry explained that these readings come in the context of ongoing regional developments and their wider repercussions on operating conditions in the region, adding that the report reviews domestic and inbound tourism indicators, tourist numbers, tourism spending and the performance of hospitality facilities, with the aim of monitoring any tangible effects on travel flows and demand patterns during a period of escalating regional turmoil, according to a post on the Saudi Ministry of Tourism website.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia recorded 37.2 million domestic and foreign tourists during the first quarter, with total spending of SAR 82.7 billion. These figures confirm that the decline in inbound arrivals was one of the main pressures on overall performance, although the sector remained generally stable.
Despite this decline, the report noted that the Saudi tourism sector's performance in the first quarter remained resilient in the face of regional turmoil, stressing that the preliminary reading aims to monitor the effects of the changes on travel flows and demand patterns and to highlight the market's resilience and continuity. It also stressed that the Kingdom maintained the sector's overall stable performance during a period marked by operational volatility in the region.
The report also pointed out that Ramadan and the Eid Al-Fitr season supported tourism performance in a number of destinations, coinciding with expanded air connectivity and higher demand for some destinations. At the same time, however, it stressed that the number of international tourist arrivals fell as a result of ongoing regional developments, which explains the gap between the overall strength of the Saudi tourism market and the specific decline in inbound tourism during the first quarter.
Inbound tourism was the segment most affected by regional changes during the first quarter of 2026, both in terms of tourist numbers and total spending, while the Saudi sector continued to rely on its operational resilience and the stability of its tourism infrastructure to face these pressures. This reading is based directly on the report's figures, not on an external estimate.
To view the post on the Ministry of Tourism website, click here.
