In Saudi Arabia.. a new record for visitor spending during 2023

Spending by visitors coming to Saudi Arabia from abroad reached a record high during the year 2023, according to preliminary Saudi Central Bank data on the travel item in the balance of payments, with spending amounting to 135 billion riyals (about 36 billion dollars).

This number is the highest in the history of Saudi Arabia regarding spending by visitors coming from abroad, and this spending represents a growth rate of 42.8 percent compared to 2022.

Saudi Arabia topped the United Nations Tourism list in terms of the growth rate of the number of international tourists in 2023 compared to 2019 for major tourism countries, achieving a 56 percent increase in the number of arriving tourists in 2023, compared to 2019, according to the barometer report issued by the United Nations Tourism in the month of May. January 2024.

The Kingdom also previously received wide international praise from the World Tourism Organization “UN Tourism” and the World Travel and Tourism Council “WTTC” in return for the Kingdom’s arrival to more than 100 million tourists from home and abroad during the year 2023, as the two organizations praised the great efforts witnessed by the sector. Tourism in the Kingdom.

In September 2023, the Saudi Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khatib, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the Kingdom aims to attract 70 million foreign tourists annually by 2030, up from the previous goal of 50 million visitors.