Number of inbound tourists to Saudi Arabia, by trip organization method 2008-2020

According to the data provided by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), around 2.3 million international travelers visited Saudi Arabia on a package tour in 2020. In total, the number of inbound tourists in Saudi Arabia amounted to approximately five million that year.

Non-religious tourism on the rise

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a long-standing history of religious pilgrimages, namely Hajj and Umrah. Hajj is the pilgrimage made annually to Mecca, which is regarded as the holy city in Saudi Arabia. Religious pilgrimages used to be a pillar of the Kingdom’s tourism industry, attracting millions of pilgrims every year. However, since the introduction of e-Visa in September 2019, an electronic visa service that allows multiple entries for short-term visits within one year, the country has been enjoying growth in the leisure and other non-religious tourism segments. The new visa policy, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals to shift its economic focus to non-oil sectors, seems to have yielded positive public responses and bright promises for the Saudi economy.

Tourism in the Saudi Vision 2030

Saudi Vision 2030 lays down the strategic framework for Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification away from its traditional oil-based economy. Tourism in Saudi Arabia remains one crucial driver for the sustainable economic growth of the Kingdom. With an aim to becoming one of leading global tourist destinations by 2030, Saudi Arabia has been investing in several tourism ‘Giga projects’, such as the ambitious arts, entertainment and sports hub project Qiddiya, and numerous other development projects (1308732). By 2030, the Saudi tourism industry is expected to attract a total of 100 million visitors, contributing more than 10 percent to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product.