Saudi Arabia ranks second globally with tourist arrivals in 2023

Logo of Ministry of Tourism

The Ministry of Tourism announced that Saudi Arabia ranked second globally in the growth rate of the number of tourist arrivals during the first seven months of 2023, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The UNWTO Barometer, issued by the World Tourism Organization last month, showed that the Kingdom recorded a growth rate of 58% compared to the same period in 2019.

These results come as a follow-up to the outstanding achievements made by the Kingdom in the tourism sector and its leadership role in the global scene in this vital sector, the most recent of which was the Kingdom’s hosting of the activities of the World Tourism Day, in Riyadh on Sept. 27 and 28.

In August, the Kingdom said nationals from Azerbaijan, Albania, Uzbekistan, South Africa, Georgia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Maldives can apply for a visitor visa online, bringing the total number of countries benefiting from this system to 57.

The move aligns with the Kingdom’s tourism strategy and the sector ambitions in line with Vision 2030, which aims to raise the sector’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) from 3% to over 10%. Saudi Arabia also aims to attract 100 million tourists.