Davos 2025: Saudi Tourism Minister Says Saudi Arabia Had Almost 30 Million Visitors in 2024
In 2024, Saudi Arabia had a large increase in international visitors, reaching almost 30 million. This was mainly due to the country’s focus on promoting cultural, heritage, and entertainment experiences, as stated by Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb.
Saudi Tourism
The Minister of Tourism, Al-Khateeb, spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos about how tourism is helping to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy. He mentioned that tourism made up almost 5% of the country’s economy last year.
Al-Khateeb said Saudi Arabia’s goal is to attract 70 million visitors by 2030, making it one of the top seven most visited countries. To reach this goal, they need an average of 6.6 million more visitors each year, which is about a 14.7% increase every year.
He noted that Saudi Arabia started focusing on tourism later than other countries, as it only opened its borders in 2019. The plan is to increase tourism’s contribution to the economy from 3% to 10% by 2030.
To support this, the Ministry of Tourism launched an investment guide called the Hospitality Investor White Paper. It outlines the country’s Vision 2030 goals, which include attracting more than $11 billion in private investments, contributing $4 billion to the economy, and creating 1.6 million jobs by 2030.
Tourism Powerhouse
The goal is to create a tourism sector that is easy to visit, invest in, and sustain, positioning Saudi Arabia as a leading tourism destination. A tourism ministry representative shared this with Forbes Middle East in November.
As part of this vision, Saudi Arabia introduced an instant e-visa for citizens of 66 countries, including the US, UK, and Schengen visa holders. This change made Saudi Arabia much easier to visit.
To make it easier to do business in tourism, the Ministry launched the Tourism Investment Enabler Program (TIEP). This program helps increase the number of places to stay in key tourist areas, making the country’s tourism offerings more diverse. It also includes ways to help businesses operate more smoothly, such as easier access to government land and faster project approval processes.
Cultural Infrastructure
The Ministry is also working to improve cultural sites, heritage, and religious tourism. They are building new attractions through large projects like NEOM, The Red Sea Project, and Diriyah. These projects aim to improve tourism infrastructure, attract international visitors, and promote sustainability and cultural preservation.
Published: 28th January 2025
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