Riyadh: Over six million pilgrims have performed Umrah from inside and outside Saudi Arabia during the current season, according to Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb.
Al-Khateeb disclosed the numbers during a virtual meeting with investors in the Saudi tourism sector, along with the CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, Fahd Hamidaddin, and other stakeholders.
According to the Arabic daily Okaz, the first quarter of 2023 also witnessed an increase of 581 percent in the number of leisure and holiday tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2019.
Al-Khateeb attributes this to the simplified e-visa procedures and significant improvements in facilities and services at tourist destinations in the Kingdom.
He emphasised that the ministry will prioritize quality, compliance with necessary licenses, and the Saudization of jobs in the tourism sector.
The minister highlighted the growth of tourists from the Gulf countries, the Middle East, East Asia and European countries, especially Turkey, France, Russia, Italy and Germany.
Makkah topped the list of destinations with 4.4 million tourists, followed by Riyadh, Dammam and Khobar. Jeddah and Al-Ahsa also witnessed significant growth in the number of visiting tourists during the first quarter of 2023.
Al-Khateeb has allocated 600 million riyals to launch the summer season campaign, with the aim of introducing tourist destinations in Saudi Arabia.
“The Kingdom plans to attract 100 million visitors by 2030,” he said, noting that “the tourism sector needs to pump more than 200 billion dollars by 2030 to bridge the gap in supply.”
The Kingdom aims to attract investments worth 220 billion Saudi riyals in the tourism sector by 2023, and 500 billion Saudi riyals by 2030.
