Saudi tourism hits new high with 123 million visitors and SR304b in spending

Dubai: Saudi Arabia recorded a historic high of nearly 123 million domestic and international tourists in 2025, thanks to the rapid transformation of the Kingdom's tourism sector into one of the country's most significant non-oil economic engines.

According to the Ministry of Tourism's Annual Statistical Report 2025, the combined number of inbound and domestic tourists rose by around 6 per cent compared with the previous year, while total tourism spending reached a record SR304 billion ($81 billion), up 7 per cent year on year.

The figures highlight the growing importance of tourism to Saudi Arabia's economic diversification strategy under Vision 2030, which seeks to reduce the Kingdom's dependence on oil revenues and develop new sources of growth.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb said the results reflected both the scale of the sector's transformation and the broader impact of investments made over the past decade.

"The 2025 results signal more than growth; they reflect the structural transformation of tourism into a high-impact economic engine for the Kingdom," Al Khateeb said.

He added that the sector's performance was made possible by the support of the Saudi leadership and the strategic direction provided through Vision 2030.

The report showed that Saudi Arabia welcomed 29.3 million international visitors in 2025, generating SR176.6 billion in inbound tourism spending. Domestic tourism remained the largest contributor by volume, with 93.3 million local tourists spending SR127.1 billion across the Kingdom.

One of the most notable shifts highlighted in the report was the growing role of non-religious travel. 

More than half of overnight inbound visitors travelled to Saudi Arabia for purposes other than religious tourism in 2025, accounting for approximately 52 per cent of total arrivals, compared with 44 per cent in 2019.

The sector's contribution to the wider economy has also continued to expand. Tourism directly accounted for 4.9 per cent of Saudi gross domestic product in 2024, an increase of 14 per cent from the previous year, while the travel account recorded a surplus of SR49.4 billion in 2025, contributing more than 61 per cent of total services exports.

Employment figures also pointed to the sector's growing social impact. Tourism-related industries supported nearly 1.03 million jobs in 2025, while women represented around 47 per cent of Saudi nationals employed in tourism activities, up sharply from just 5 per cent at the end of 2018.

The release of the report coincided with Al Khateeb's participation in the FII Priority Europe Summit in Rome, where he outlined the Kingdom's tourism transformation and its resilience amid regional challenges.

During a panel discussion on economic resilience and Vision 2030, the minister highlighted Saudi Arabia's investments in world-class tourism destinations and the growing contribution of the sector to employment and economic development.

He also addressed the role of artificial intelligence in tourism, saying the Kingdom intends to continue integrating advanced technologies while maintaining a strong human element in visitor experiences.

"In Saudi Arabia, we use artificial intelligence and will continue to use it," Al Khateeb said. "But we also want AI to empower our workforce, support them and help them welcome our guests while sharing our culture and hospitality."

Saudi Arabia has spent the past decade investing heavily in tourism infrastructure, destination development, hospitality, digital services and workforce training as part of its ambition to become one of the world's leading tourism destinations.

The latest figures suggest those efforts are beginning to deliver measurable results, with tourism increasingly positioned as one of the main drivers of non-oil growth and a central pillar of the Kingdom's long-term economic strategy.