Riyadh city
The total number of domestic and inbound tourists to Saudi Arabia in 2021 amounted to more than 67.3 million, an increase of 46% compared to 2020, according to the latest data from the Saudi Ministry of Tourism.
The number of domestic tourists accounted for the largest percentage of the total in 2021, reaching about 63.85 million tourists, an increase of 52% year-on-year (YoY).
Further, the number of inbound tourists reached 3.48 million, up 16% YoY.
The years 2020 and 2021 coincided with the COVID pandemic and its repercussions that affected the travel and tourism sector worldwide.
|
Number of Domestic & Inbound Tourists Since 2015 |
||||
|
Year |
Number of Domestic Tourists (mln) |
Number of Inbound Tourists (mln) |
Total Number of Tourists (mln) |
Change (%) |
|
2015 |
46.45 |
17.99 |
64.44 |
-- |
|
2016 |
45.04 |
18.04 |
63.08 |
(2%) |
|
2017 |
43.82 |
16.11 |
59.93 |
(5%) |
|
2018 |
43.26 |
15.33 |
58.59 |
(2%) |
|
2019 |
47.81 |
17.53 |
65.33 |
+12% |
|
2020* |
42.11 |
4.14 |
46.24 |
(29%) |
|
2021* |
63.85 |
3.48 |
67.32 |
+46% |
In 2021, the total spending of tourists amounted to more than SAR 95.6 billion, a rise of 51% compared to 2020, when their total spending reached SAR 63.5 billion.
The spending of domestic tourists in 2021 represented 84.6% of total expenditure, while that of inbound tourists constituted 15.4% of the total, as shown in the following table:
|
Spending of Domestic & Inbound Tourists Since 2015 |
||||
|
Year |
Domestic Tourists' Spending (SAR bln) |
Inbound Tourists' Spending (SAR bln) |
Total Tourists' Spending (SAR bln) |
Change (%) |
|
2015 |
48.42 |
82.50 |
130.92 |
-- |
|
2016 |
55.43 |
93.42 |
148.85 |
+14% |
|
2017 |
46.10 |
97.78 |
143.88 |
(3%) |
|
2018 |
48.12 |
93.48 |
141.60 |
(2%) |
|
2019 |
61.21 |
103.35 |
164.56 |
+16% |
|
2020* |
43.35 |
20.10 |
63.45 |
(6%) |
|
2021* |
80.90 |
14.72 |
95.62 |
+51% |
The 2021 Hajj season saw a total of 60,000 pilgrims. Due to the COVID pandemic, it was limited to residents and nationals living in the Kingdom.
On the other hand, Riyadh was the most attractive for about 1.22 million inbound tourists that spent SAR 12.28 billion, followed by the Eastern Province with about 1.19 million tourists spending SAR 2.91 billion, as shown in the following table:
|
Number of Tourists & Their Spending by Region in 2021 |
||||
|
Province |
Number of Domestic Tourists (mln) |
Number of Inbound Tourists (mln) |
Domestic Tourists' Spending (SAR bln) |
Inbound Tourists' Spending (SAR bln) |
|
Makkah |
13.53 |
0.69 |
19.32 |
2.96 |
|
Riyadh |
9.21 |
1.22 |
12.28 |
7.47 |
|
Madinah |
8.24 |
0.02 |
8.22 |
0.07 |
|
Eastern Province |
7.33 |
1.19 |
8.10 |
2.91 |
|
Aseer |
6.81 |
0.02 |
10.46 |
0.11 |
|
Tabuk |
3.78 |
0.04 |
5.61 |
0.22 |
|
Al Qassim |
3.66 |
0.06 |
3.48 |
0.24 |
|
Al-Baha |
2.77 |
0.001 |
3.42 |
0.003 |
|
Jazan |
2.48 |
0.005 |
2.68 |
0.03 |
|
Hail |
1.86 |
0.09 |
1.93 |
0.36 |
|
Al-Jouf |
1.68 |
0.02 |
2.31 |
0.07 |
|
Northern Borders |
1.49 |
0.13 |
1.84 |
0.25 |
|
Najran |
1.00 |
0.004 |
1.26 |
0.02 |
|
Total |
63.85 |
3.48 |
80.91 |
14.71 |
July 2021 witnessed the largest number of tourists of about 6.9 million, followed by December with 6.85 million tourists, as shown in the following table:
|
Number of Tourists in 2021 |
|
|
Month |
Number of Tourists (mln) |
|
January |
6.09 |
|
February |
5.57 |
|
March |
4.52 |
|
April |
4.57 |
|
May |
4.26 |
|
June |
6.72 |
|
July |
6.90 |
|
August |
5.78 |
|
September |
4.81 |
|
October |
5.41 |
|
November |
5.73 |
|
December |
6.85 |
Kuwait topped the inbound tourists by nationality, with a total number of 623,460 during 2021. India came next with 316,490 tourists, then Egypt with 308,250 tourists.
|
Inbound Tourists by Nationality in 2021 |
|
|
Country |
Number of Tourists (‘000) |
|
Kuwait |
623.46 |
|
India |
316.49 |
|
Egypt |
308.25 |
|
Pakistan |
257.64 |
|
Qatar |
254.01 |
|
Bahrain |
239.95 |
Makkah was the most visited province with about 14.22 million tourists in 2021, followed by Riyadh with about 10.44 million tourists, as follows:
|
Most Attractive Provinces for Tourists in 2021 |
|
|
Province |
Number of Tourists (mln) |
|
Makkah |
14.22 |
|
Riyadh |
10.44 |
|
Madinah |
8.26 |
|
Eastern Province |
7.99 |
|
Aseer |
7.35 |
|
Tabuk |
3.82 |
|
Main Purpose of Trips for 2021 (mln) |
||||||
|
Province |
Entertainment |
Visiting Relatives & Friends |
Work |
Umrah |
Visiting Madinah |
Other Facilities |
|
Makkah |
7.03 |
2.69 |
0.69 |
3.56 |
-- |
0.19 |
|
Madinah |
2.25 |
1.79 |
0.18 |
-- |
3.99 |
0.05 |
|
Riyadh |
4.32 |
4.24 |
0.97 |
-- |
-- |
0.91 |
|
Eastern Province |
4.78 |
2.41 |
0.65 |
-- |
-- |
0.17 |
|
Aseer |
4.45 |
2.65 |
0.13 |
-- |
-- |
0.12 |
|
Tabuk |
2.66 |
0.98 |
0.14 |
-- |
-- |
0.03 |
|
Al Qassim |
1.28 |
2.21 |
0.16 |
-- |
-- |
0.06 |
|
Al-Baha |
1.53 |
1.12 |
0.06 |
-- |
-- |
0.06 |
|
Jazan |
1.14 |
1.26 |
0.06 |
-- |
-- |
0.03 |
|
Hail |
0.53 |
1.34 |
0.07 |
-- |
-- |
0.01 |
|
Al-Jouf |
0.72 |
0.77 |
0.18 |
-- |
-- |
0.03 |
|
Northern Borders |
0.75 |
0.68 |
0.06 |
-- |
-- |
0.13 |
|
Najran |
0.30 |
0.60 |
0.07 |
-- |
-- |
0.04 |
|
Total |
31.74 |
22.74 |
3.42 |
3.56 |
3.99 |
1.83 |
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