Saudi Arabia leads the world in tourism spending growth

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Bedouin men sitting in a tent in Saudi's desert

Saudi Arabia has claimed the top spot globally in growth of international tourism revenues, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) May 2025 Barometer.

The kingdom recorded a staggering SAR49.4 billion (US$13.2 billion) in international visitor spending during the first quarter of 2025 compared to Q1 2019, marking a 9.7% increase from the same period last year.

International arrivals in Q1 2025 surged 102% compared to pre-pandemic levels, far outpacing the global average growth of 3% and the Middle East’s 44% rise.

The May 2025 Barometer also ranked Saudi Arabia first for growth in tourism receipts and third globally for growth in international tourist arrivals.

In 2024, the kingdom attracted 116 million tourists in 2024, including 30 million international visitors, an 8% increase from the previous year.

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What’s more, Saudi Arabia’s travel account surplus climbed to SAR26.8 billion, up 11.7% year-on-year, underlining the sector’s growing contribution to the national economy.

This record-breaking performance follows years of strategic investment in tourism infrastructure, including the development of mega-projects such as Neom, AlUla, the Red Sea Project and Diriyah, with the latter recently named among the world’s 100 most influential companies, according to Time.

At-Turaif, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Diriyah

In addition, the government has implemented streamlined visa policies and launched major promotional campaigns, such as its latest ‘Color Your Summer’ promotion, aimed at attracting 4.1 million visitors and tourism spending of SAR73 billion (US$19.5 billion), according to Saudi Tourism Authority (STA).

The campaign, launched with 600 new tourism products and running until September 2025, is supported by more than 1 million additional domestic flights added over summer to improve access to hotspots such as The Red Sea and cooler mountain regions of Taif and Al-Baha.

The Red Sea in Saudi Arabia

Saudi’s leading position is further supported by a recently released World Economic Forum (WEF) report, produced in collaboration with Kearney, which identifies the kingdom as the second-fastest growing tourism destination globally.

Earlier this year, the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) said Saudi Arabia was “ahead of the curve” when it comes to global growth, outperforming traditional markets, and that with its investment of US$800 billion by 2030, it was “setting new benchmarks” for the industry.

Globally, international tourism continues to recover, with around 300 million travellers crossing borders in the first quarter of 2025, a 5% increase over the same period in 2024.

Having already surpassed its original goal of attracting 100 million annual visitors, Saudi is now targeting 150 million visitors by 2030.

For more information, visit www.unwto.org/un-tourism-world-tourism-barometer-data