His Excellency the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Ahmed bin Aqil Al-Khatib, reviewed numerous achievements within the tourism sector and the qualitative leaps the Kingdom has achieved with the support and empowerment of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz —may God protect them both—in the field of tourism, which has set records in recent years and achieved remarkable figures during the first half of 2024, with 60 million tourists spending 143 billion riyals, according to preliminary data.
This was announced during a government press conference held yesterday by the Government Communication Center at the Al-Abu Sarrah Heritage Palaces in the village of Al-Azizah, west of Abha in the Asir region, in the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Media, Mr. Salman bin Yusuf Al-Dosari.
A wide range of tourist destinations and climatic diversity
The Minister of Tourism said: “Our country, praise be to God, is blessed with many gifts, including a variety of tourist destinations and climatic diversity. During the summer season, the Asir region enjoys a mild climate and lower temperatures compared to most cities around the world, amid cloudy skies and temperatures not exceeding 23 degrees Celsius, amid a variety of historic heritage villages and farms brimming with local produce, as well as the diverse array of delicious dishes offered by Asir cuisine, which tell beautiful stories from the past,” noting that the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 is centered on the tourism sector, which is considered one of the most important sectors for maximizing the economic and social value of many other sectors. The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 aims to strengthen the tourism sector, and the National Tourism Strategy was launched in September 2019, followed by the introduction of the tourist visa to explore the Kingdom’s riches, customs, and traditions across its 13 regions—with their coastlines, mountains, plains, civilization, and history, rich in cultures, customs, and a deep-rooted heritage.
Al-Khatib announced the launch of a bachelor’s program in International Hospitality Management in partnership between the Ministry of Tourism, King Khalid University, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in the presence of His Highness the Prince of Asir Region, as well as the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Tourism and Colleges of Excellence, aimed at developing human resources in the tourism sector and expanding specialized international technical colleges and strategic partnership institutes in the field of tourism and hospitality, Furthermore, the Strategic Partnership Institute for Tourism and Hospitality was established between the Ministry of Tourism and Colleges of Excellence in Asir, and His Excellency announced the allocation of 10,000 training opportunities inside and outside the Kingdom for workers in the tourism sector in the Asir region.
Aiming to attract more than 150 million tourists by 2030
He explained that the ambitions outlined in the National Tourism Strategy are to attract more than 150 million domestic and international tourists by 2030, a goal that, by the grace of God, was achieved last year with 109 million domestic and international tourists, which will help increase tourism’s contribution to GDP to 10% by 2030, and increase employment rates from approximately 650,000 jobs in 2019 to 1.6 million jobs by 2030.
Al-Khatib added, “The Tourism Development Fund plays a vital role in providing financing for a number of distinctive tourism projects, having contributed more than 7.4 billion riyals to support more than 100 tourism projects across the Kingdom, with a total value exceeding 35 billion riyals, providing more than 7,500 hotel rooms and suites in tourist destinations,” noting that in the Asir region, the Fund has financed 10 major projects ranging from international hotels to mixed-use developments with a total value exceeding 1 billion riyals. These included international hotel brands such as the InterContinental Residences in Abha and the DoubleTree in Khamis Mushait Governorate, as well as Khayal Boulevard and Walk.
His Excellency the Minister of Tourism emphasized the importance of developing human resources in the tourism sector, noting that the Kingdom has allocated an exceptional budget for the training and qualification of Saudi men and women both inside and outside the Kingdom, in cooperation with leading tourism education and training institutions in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Spain, so that national professionals to provide tourism services. Since 2019, the Ministry has aimed to train 500,000 young Saudi men and women, and more than 100,000 young men and women were trained through a number of training programs during the past year, 2023, most notably the “Tourism Pioneers 2" program. Additionally, approximately 1,500 young men and women received training outside the Kingdom last year at prestigious international universities and institutes.
More than 925,000 jobs in the tourism sector in 2023
He explained that the number of jobs in the tourism sector in the Kingdom exceeded 925,000 in 2023, and the Saudization rate in the tourism sector reached 26% last year (2023), while the Saudization rate in the hospitality sector reached 38% last year (2023), and the Saudization rate in travel agencies reached 36% last year (2023), The number of new entrants to the tourism sector reached 380,000 last year (2023), The percentage of Saudi women working in the tourism sector reached 46% during the past year, 2023, and the average salary for Saudi men and women working in the tourism sector exceeded 6,400 riyals during the past year, 2023.
Al-Khatib expressed optimism about the growth of the tourism sector in the Asir region, where the number of domestic and international tourists who visited the region in 2023, 8 million tourists, representing a growth rate of % 2.2 compared to 2022. Total tourism spending in the Asir region for both inbound and domestic tourism in 2023 exceeded 11 billion riyals, and the number of employees in the tourism sector in Asir reached more than 44,000. The Saudization rate for workers in the sector stood at 17% by the end of 2023.
His Excellency announced the release of the Ministry’s annual statistical report on its website, which documents the tourism sector’s achievements and its attainment of a number of targets during the year 2023. The report included data on the total number of domestic and international tourists, which reached 109 million in 2023, representing a growth rate of 16% compared to 2022. The number of tourists and visitors to the Kingdom from abroad exceeded 27 million last year, led by leisure and vacation travel, which saw a growth rate of 153% compared to 2022, In addition, total tourism spending for both inbound and domestic tourism exceeded 255 billion riyals, representing a growth rate of 24% for 2023 compared to 2022. Total spending on domestic tourism in 2023 exceeded 114 billion riyals, representing a growth rate of approximately 7% compared to 2022, Meanwhile, total spending on inbound tourism in 2023 exceeded 141 billion riyals, representing a growth rate of approximately 44% compared to 2022.
60 million tourists in the first half of 2024
Preliminary figures for the first half of 2024 indicate that the total number of domestic and inbound tourists reached 60 million during the first half of 2024, with their total spending exceeding 143 billion riyals. The number of domestic tourists reached 44 million, with spending exceeding 52 billion riyals, while the number of international tourists reached 15 million, with total spending exceeding 90 billion riyals, Tourism’s direct contribution to gross domestic product reached 5% during the same period.
In response to questions from journalists, His Excellency the Minister of Tourism noted that the new legislation approved by the Ministry of Tourism to develop the sector was based on the experiences of countries with decades of experience in tourism and proven systems and legislation, These were utilized as a basis for developing numerous local laws tailored to the Kingdom’s tourism landscape, and national regulations were established—such as those governing tour guides and lodging facilities. One of the most notable provisions is that an investor can trial the service for six months; if it does not suit them, they may request cancellation of the permit. Similarly, regarding hotels, we have taken into account all the finer details of guest service, and hotels are classified based on these criteria.
Al-Khatib emphasized that Saudi Arabia is among the world’s leading countries in terms of the number of hotel rooms, currently boasting approximately 300,000 rooms, with a target of 600,000 to 700,000 rooms by 2030, emphasizing that the Kingdom is one of the easiest and fastest countries for tourism investment.
In response to a question from the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) regarding the possibility of reopening a branch of the Ministry of Tourism in the region and the role played by tourism media,
His Excellency noted that the opening of branches will be considered following the pilot program to establish regional tourism development councils; the Asir region has seen the approval of its first tourism development council, which will hold its first meeting in the near future, praising the role of tourism media in all its forms in supporting the Ministry of Tourism’s plans and promoting tourist sites across all regions of the Kingdom, with the support and oversight of the Ministry of Media system led by His Excellency the Minister of Media, Mr. Salman Al-Dosari.
Regarding his tour of the tourism sectors in Asir, he noted that many of the complaints and observations received by the Ministry have been resolved, including the issue of price increases, which have begun to decline significantly compared to previous years. In addition, the number of flights to Abha has been increased through coordination with the relevant authorities and the national airlines, with ”Saudi Arabian Airlines“ and ”NAS,“ which supports the implementation of the air connectivity program, linking cities across the Kingdom to 50 global destinations to boost Saudi tourism.
Regarding the impact of the e-visa on increasing the number of tourists from outside Saudi Arabia, His Excellency said: ”In 2019, we began implementing the e-visa for 44 carefully selected countries around the world. Following significant demand from other countries, this number has expanded to 66, making the Kingdom one of the fastest countries in the world for visa processing.“
