Cairo: Saudi Arabia has moved 15 slots to the 12th position on the scale of international tourists' spending, according to recent global data.
The Saudi News Agency, citing the UN Tourism Organisation, reported that Saudi Arabia advanced 15 places in the global rankings of international tourist spending last year compared to 2019, leading the upward positions among the top 50 countries.
Based on available data for the period from January to July of this year, the kingdom led the list of G20 countries in the number of international visitors by 73% and in the growth of international tourism revenues by 207% compared to the same period in 2019.
"These achievements to strengthen the kingdom's position as a leading global tourist destination," said SPA.
Foreign tourists spent more than SR141 billion, or nearly $38 billion in the kingdom last year, the Saudi Ministry of Tourism said in August.
The number of tourists in the kingdom surged to more than 100 million last year.
Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb said earlier this year the kingdom’s tourism sector in 2023 fulfilled a target of 100 million tourists including 77 million local visitors and 27 million foreign arrivals.
He cited a strategy charted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman envisaging 150 million tourists annually in the country by the year 2030 including 80 million domestic tourists and 70 million foreign arrivals. The aim is also to make Saudi Arabia rank among the world’s top 10 tourist attractions.
Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry is flourishing amid facilities to draw more foreign tourists to the country. They include the issuance of tourist visas on arrival or online for citizens of several nationalities under a system launched in 2019.
