Saudi Arabia welcomed an estimated 122 million visitors in 2025, a 5 percent annual increase that brings the Kingdom substantially closer to its Vision 2030 goal of 150 million tourists per year by the end of the decade. The milestone was confirmed through preliminary official data released by the Ministry of Tourism and highlighted by Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, where he described Saudi tourism as no longer an emerging story but a proven growth engine reshaping the Kingdom’s economy.
The visitor numbers were accompanied by an equally significant financial milestone. Total tourism spending reached an estimated SAR 300 billion — approximately $81 billion — in 2025, a 6 percent increase over 2024. That spending figure reflects not only the volume of visitors arriving in the Kingdom but the depth of engagement they bring: longer stays, more diversified itineraries, and growing participation in the entertainment, sports, cultural, and conference segments that have expanded dramatically since 2021.
A Target That Keeps Advancing
The journey to 122 million visitors is even more remarkable when viewed against Saudi Arabia’s original targets. When Vision 2030 was announced in 2016, attracting 100 million annual tourists by 2030 was considered ambitious. The Kingdom surpassed that figure in 2023 — six full years ahead of schedule — and immediately raised the bar, revising the goal to 150 million annual visitors by 2030, comprising 70 million international tourists and 80 million domestic trips.
The 2024 figures offer a useful comparison point: the Kingdom welcomed 116 million visitors that year, including 29.7 million inbound international tourists — an 8 percent year-on-year rise — and 86.2 million domestic trips, which grew 5 percent from 2023. Both segments are expanding simultaneously, a sign that domestic tourism has become a genuine leisure habit for Saudi residents even as international arrivals accelerate.
Tourism as an Economic Engine
Tourism currently contributes 5 percent of Saudi Arabia’s GDP, a figure that Minister Al-Khateeb has made clear is far from the ceiling. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative conference in October, he expressed the aspiration to double that contribution within five years, which would simultaneously drive significant job creation in a sector that currently accounts for one in ten positions in the global economy.
The foundation for that growth has been built through structural changes: a streamlined e-visa system that now offers access to citizens of over 65 countries, the expansion of hospitality infrastructure from luxury resorts to budget accommodations, and a portfolio of cultural and natural destinations — from the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra in AlUla to the Red Sea coast — that position Saudi Arabia as a destination of genuine global distinction. The 150 million visitor target for 2030 now appears firmly within reach.
