Saudi Arabia to see continued tourism growth: report

Saudi Arabia will see continued growth in the hotel sector across the Kingdom, fueled by increasing demand from tourists, according to the latest report by Expedia Group.

The report released on Tuesday disclosed that travelers from the USA, UAE and UK have topped the list for travel demand into the KSA in 2018.

With travel bookings in the Kingdom considered the largest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the power of the international traveler growth to Saudi Arabia is expected to remain strong, the report by Expedia added. 

USA saw more than 110 percent year on year growth in demand compared to the same period in 2017 with almost 45 percent share of total room nights.

UAE saw a whopping year-on-year (YoY) growth of above 140 percent than last year with almost 20 percent share of total room nights whilst the UK had more than 10 percent share of room nights with a YoY growth of above 40 percent, Expedia data showed.

The data also revealed strong growth in package demand from travelers in India seeing above 200 percent YoY increase as well as Spain with an increase of 200 percent year on year. 

“Major hotel groups are driving construction trends across the country as they aim to meet the demands of an ever-increasing number of domestic tourists and international visitors. When it comes to brand affinity and customer loyalty, it is essential to engage at each level of the customer journey,” Paula de Keijzer, Senior Director Market Management, Africa, Indian Ocean, Middle East and Turkey at Expedia Group said.