Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia ranked second on the list of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the first quarter of 2023, according to the latest data from World Tourism Organization (WTO).
The kingdom also became 13th globally, advancing by 12 places on the WTO index, as one of the top countries receiving international tourists in 2022, compared to 25th place in 2019.
The number of international tourists who visited the kingdom, for all travel purposes, hit 16.6 million in 2022, WTO reported.
The kingdom also advanced 16 places in the international tourism revenue index, achieving 11th place in 2022, compared to 27th place in 2019 globally, according to the World Tourism Barometer report for May 2023 issued by the WTO.
The country received about 7.8 million international tourists for all purposes during the first quarter of 2023, representing its highest quarterly performance, up 64 percent compared to the same period in 2019.
The Saudi Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, confirmed that this achievement is an addition to the other successes of the kingdom in various fields. He said the kingdom was making efforts to enhance its position on the global tourism map, and raise its contribution to the gross domestic product under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
He pointed out that facilitating travel visa procedures, planning promotional campaigns in the target countries, and the diversity of tourism destinations in the kingdom were among the reasons for these achievements.
Al-Khateeb stressed that the ministry will renew its cooperation with partners from the public and private sectors to transform tSaudi Arabia into a global tourism hub.
The kingdom has also accomplished a new achievement within the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), marking the 33rd position globally, advancing ten ranks compared to 2019.
Last week, Saudi Arabia launched tourism projects worth SAR 1.5 billion ($400 million) in the targeted destinations around the kingdom.
The Saudi Ministry of Tourism has sponsored ‘The Collective’ initiative launched by Kerten Hospitality, a hotel investment firm, to establish its projects under one umbrella.
The announcement represented an important step toward achieving the objectives of the national tourism strategy by developing quality hospitality facilities.
“We are focusing our efforts to support the private sector in implementing projects that enhance the quality of the available services and contribute to promoting a number of tourist destinations and boosting their attractiveness for visitors,” said Mahmoud Abdulhadi, the Deputy Minister of Investment Attraction at the Saudi Ministry of Tourism while announcing the projects.