Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) recorded a 156 percent increase in the number of international tourist arrivals in 2023 compared to pre-COVID levels in 2019.
The Kingdom’s success in the tourism sector has significantly contributed to the Middle East leading the global recovery, attracting 122 percent more tourists in 2023 than 2019, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported citing the World Tourism Organisation’s latest Barometer report.
“The global rate of tourism recovery in 2023 stood at 88 percent of pre-COVID levels, registering an estimated 1.3 billion arrivals,” the report said.
International tourism revenues reached 1.3 trillion dollars (Rs 10,80,62,43,50,00,000), accounting for 93 percent of the 1.5 trillion dollars (Rs 12,46,87,42,50,00,000) in 2019.
The global tourism sector contributed 3 percent to the gross domestic product last year, reaching 3.3 trillion dollars (Rs 27,43,12,33,50,00,000).
The Kingdom’s tourism sector significantly contributed to the economy, ranking second among the fastest-growing tourist destinations globally in Q1 2023, according to WTO report.
In 2023, the Kingdom experienced a significant rise in both domestic and international visitors to its tourist destinations.
Saudi Arabia set a new record in international visitor spending, reaching over 100 billion Saudi Riyals (Rs 22,16,11,11,67,000) the first three quarters of 2023, according to Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).
The Kingdom’s outbound travellers spent 64.8 billion Saudi Riyals (Rs 14,36,21,21,88,432) from January to September, resulting in a 72 percent higher balance of payments surplus for the travel sector compared to 2022.
