Saudi Arabia’s 50-year tourism plan explained: From pilgrimage hub to global travel powerhouse

Dubai: What does it take to transform a nation from a spiritual pilgrimage hub into one of the world’s most ambitious, multi-dimensional tourism powers?

For Saudi Arabia, the answer is not just billions of dollars and bold blueprints, it’s a total reimagining of what tourism can mean in the 21st century.

This week, Saudi Arabia unveiled its most ambitious tourism initiative yet: a 50-year roadmap that goes far beyond boosting visitor numbers, it sets out to redefine global travel itself.

As part of this bold strategy, Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb announced TOURISE, a first-of-its-kind global platform designed to bring together the world’s top tourism innovators, policymakers, and investors.

Launching as a major summit in Riyadh from November 11 to 13, 2025, TOURISE is being positioned not just as an event, but as a long-term driver of industry change, a “Davos for tourism” where ideas become policies, partnerships, and platforms for action.

"The future demands adaptation to technological advancements, evolving tourist expectations, and an urgent focus on sustainability and inclusivity," Al Khateeb emphasized, describing TOURISE as a platform not just for discussion, but for action.

Setting new benchmarks

Coming just after Saudi Arabia’s milestone of welcoming 100 million visitors, achieved seven years ahead of its Vision 2030 target, the 50-year roadmap marks a tectonic shift in the Kingdom’s tourism strategy: transforming from a primarily religious destination into a diverse, global travel powerhouse.

The Kingdom has since set a higher benchmark: attracting 150 million visitors annually by 2030. With 30 million international tourists visiting in 2024 alone and tourism contributing 5 per cent to national GDP, the trajectory seems both aggressive and achievable.

TOURISE: Redesigning the blueprint

The TOURISE summit will be more than just a three-day gathering. It is envisioned as a living platform, supported by digital tools, global partnerships, and sector-specific awards to drive year-round engagement.

With categories focusing on sustainability, heritage preservation, and human capital development, the summit aims to highlight and reward innovation both at the grassroots and institutional levels on an international scale.

A strategic pillar of vision 2030

Saudi Arabia's tourism ambitions are deeply entwined with its Vision 2030 initiative to diversify the economy away from oil.

Tourism is expected to contribute more than 10 per cent to GDP by 2030 and create over 1.6 million jobs. Government programmes are already in place to train Saudis in hospitality, tour operations, and destination management.

Legislative reforms have smoothed the path: the introduction of e-visas, a new tourism law, and the creation of bodies such as the Tourism Development Fund (TDF), Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), and the Saudi Red Sea Authority, all of which play fundamental roles in policy, promotion, and regulatory management.

The rise of leisure and heritage tourism

On the other side, Saudi Arabia is witnessing a leisure tourism boom. In the first half of 2024, the Kingdom saw a staggering 656 per cent increase in tourists arriving for holiday and entertainment purposes. Between January and July, 4.2 million leisure tourists visited, an unprecedented surge that showcases the country’s repositioning.

Initiatives such as "Winter at Tantora" in AlUla and large-scale festivals in Riyadh have not only attracted visitors but also reignited national pride and cultural expression. Diriyah, the cradle of the Saudi state, welcomed 3 million visitors in 2024.

Religious tourism continues to be vital, but even this segment has been overhauled. The Mecca Route Initiative, e-platform Nusuk, and expanded transportation infrastructure now offer a streamlined pilgrimage experience. Over 35.8 million Umrah pilgrims were recorded in 2024, alongside 1.61 million Hajj pilgrims.

Mega-projects redefining possibility

The Kingdom is betting big on giga-projects to cement its status as a world-class destination. The Red Sea Project, featuring carbon-neutral resorts like St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton Nujuma, is paired with the region’s first carbon-neutral international airport. AMAALA emphasizes eco-tourism and wellness, while Qiddiya is poised to become a global hub for entertainment and sports.

NEOM

Additionally, one of the most ambitious pillars of Saudi Arabia’s tourism vision is NEOM, the $500 billion mega-project taking shape in the Kingdom’s northwest. Designed as a futuristic destination and global innovation hub, NEOM’s flagship city, The Line, offers an innovative urban model, a car-free, carbon-neutral metropolis stretching 170 kilometers and powered entirely by renewable energy.

Beyond The Line, NEOM features many transformative destinations: Trojena, a mountain tourism hub set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, and Sindalah, a luxury island poised to welcome its first guests in 2024 with upscale resorts, golf courses, and state-of-the-art marinas.

NEOM is designed not only to attract tourists but to set new global benchmarks for sustainability and quality of life. According to NEOM’s leadership, the destination will be within a four-hour flight for 40 per cent of the world’s population and is projected to draw five million visitors annually by 2030.

New Murabba

Riyadh is also undergoing a radical transformation through the New Murabba project, a planned downtown district centered around the iconic Mukaab, an enormous cube-shaped skyscraper set to become one of the world’s largest built structures.

Covering 400 meters in height, width, and length, the Mukaab will feature an immersive interior equipped with holographic displays, digital environments, and mixed-reality experiences. It will house hotels, retail outlets, cultural attractions, and residential spaces, redefining the concept of urban tourism in the heart of the capital.

The New Murabba project will be built around the concept of sustainability by featuring green areas and walking and cycling paths that will enhance the quality of life by promoting healthy lifestyles and community activities. 

The project will also include an iconic museum, a technology and design university, a multipurpose immersive theater, and more than 80 entertainment and cultural venues. 

The development will be situated at the intersection of King Salman and King Khalid roads to the northwest of Riyadh over an area of 19 sqkm and set to accommodate hundreds of thousands of residents. 

The New Murabba will offer more than 25 million sqkm of floor area, 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, 980,000 sqm of retail space, 1.4 million sqm of office space, 620,000 sqm of leisure assets, and 1.8 million sqm of community facilities.  The project will feature a 15-minute walking radius and have its own internal transport system with a 20-minute drive from the airport. 

Experiences such as diving in the Red Sea, hiking in Asir’s lush mountain ranges, and visiting ancient ruins in AlUla position Saudi Arabia as a multifaceted destination for both adventure and culture. Events like Riyadh Season, which drew 76.9 million attendees in 2024, showcase how entertainment and tourism are merging to create dynamic visitor experiences.

The machinery behind the mission

The institutional framework backing this transformation is robust. The Ministry of Tourism focuses on policy and regulation, while STA manages marketing and destination branding. TDF offers financial products to stimulate private investment, especially among SMEs.

Other players include the Saudi Red Sea Authority (marine tourism), the Air Connectivity Program (new flight routes), and the Tourism Development Council (strategy alignment across entities). This ecosystem ensures that every leg of the journey from airport arrival to desert safari is integrated and optimized.

Data-driven governance and global accolades

Moreover, Saudi Arabia’s approach is increasingly data-centric. Platforms like the Tourism Information and Statistics Center (MAS) ensure decisions are guided by real-time insights. This has resulted in the Kingdom now leading the G20 in international tourist arrivals growth and revenue gains, according to the UN World Tourism Organization.

International media have taken notice. Time Magazine named Riyadh among the world’s top food cities, while AlUla earned accolades as the Best Cultural Tourism Project in the Middle East.

Hospitality, human capital, and inclusivity

As the tourism sector expands, so does its workforce. In 2024, over 966,000 people were employed in tourism, 112,000 of whom are women, a 67 per cent year-on-year increase. Saudi Arabia is fostering an inclusive labor market while redefining hospitality as both a business and a cultural value.

Licensing reforms, fee reductions, and incentive schemes have boosted the number of licensed tour guides by 168 per cent, while the hospitality pipeline includes over 475,000 hotel rooms, with nearly 252,000 more in the works by 2030.

A culture of discovery

Vision 2030’s cultural renaissance is as pivotal as its infrastructure boom. From UNESCO World Heritage Sites to Arabic opera and Saudi films at Cannes, the Kingdom is telling its story anew.

Historic discoveries like the Al Natah Bronze Age Village and the inclusion of intangible cultural heritage practices, like Saudi coffee and falconry, reflect a deliberate effort to root tourism in identity and narrative.

The Saudi Heritage Commission is also playing its full part. It is restoring historic neighborhoods and encouraging locals to share their stories, making sure that preserving culture starts with the community itself.

Global events as catalysts

Hosting major global events has further accelerated Saudi’s tourism timeline. The Kingdom secured the 2034 FIFA World Cup, hosted the Esports World Cup, and welcomed nearly 77 million visitors during Riyadh Season 2024.

Infrastructure investments related to these events, stadiums, airports, transit lines, generate long-term value and improve residents’ quality of life. The impact also includes hotel expansions, job creation, and investor confidence.

Toward a post-oil economy

Tourism is fast becoming a linchpin of Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy. In 2024 alone, investment in the sector surged to $3.95 billion, up from just $314 million in 2021. The sector’s share of GDP has grown steadily, and nearly half of that now comes from non-oil activities.

A new hospitality incentive program has attracted nearly SR3 billion in private sector investment. Structural reforms such as reducing hotel operation fees and simplifying licensing procedures are making it easier for businesses to grow.

Tourism’s financial impact is quantifiable: a travel surplus of SR49.8 billion in 2024, record-high hotel occupancy rates, and a huge surge in inbound visitor spending.

Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambitions were many times met with skepticism. No longer. With 100 million visitors already arriving annually, a 656 per cent leisure tourism surge, and mega-projects redefining luxury, the Kingdom has firmly established itself as travel’s next great disruptor.

The 50-year roadmap suggests this is only the beginning. As many industry analysts put it: “Saudi Arabia is not just entering the game. It is rewriting the rules.”

 -- Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE