The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, attracting millions of visitors each year from all over the world. In recent years, the Kingdom’s tourism sector has grown in order to meet the goals of the 2030 Vision for a Global Tourism Industry that competes with Foreign Tourism.
The Saudi Tourism Authority was interested in the tourism sector and worked hard to develop it. In 2030, the number of visitors to Saudi Arabia is expected to reach 100 million.
In this article, we will present a tourism report for Saudi Arabia, as well as the impact of tourism on the Saudi economy, and also the Kingdom’s tourism efforts. But first, let’s talk about the importance of tourism in Saudi Arabia.
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Tourism in Saudi Arabia
Tourism is one of the most important industries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as stated in the tourism report for Saudi Arabia. The tourism industry is one of the Kingdom’s emerging industries, having been founded in 2000 with the establishment of the Supreme Commission for Tourism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The presence of tourism components in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, most notably the presence of religious sanctuaries, historical monuments, and monuments, makes it one of the tourist countries visited by a large number of tourists. As a result, the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism paid close attention to these tourism components and made significant efforts to develop the tourism sector through the establishment of tourism projects and the establishment of tourism and entertainment events.
Tourism’s Importance in Saudi Arabia
The Saudi government is paying close attention to the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia, thanks to the efforts of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. Tourism is one of the main pillars that contribute to the economy’s revival and the creation of new job opportunities, as stated in the tourism report for Saudi Arabia. What role does tourism play in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?
- Achieving economic development and improving the Kingdom’s economic structure • Developing many different sectors that supply the tourism sector with the necessary goods and services
- Providing direct job opportunities through tourism companies, hotels, and tour guides, as well as indirect job opportunities in industries other than tourism, such as food processing, construction, and agriculture.
- Learning about Saudi Arabia’s heritage and civilization, as well as raising citizens’ and tourists’ awareness of Saudi culture, customs, and traditions
- Tourism is one of the most important sources of foreign exchange, contributing significantly to the advancement of development and the improvement of the economy.
The economic impact of tourism in Saudi Arabia
According to a tourism report for Saudi Arabia, tourism contributes a significant portion of the economy each year, and it will account for 11.1 percent of the gross domestic product by 2027. The tourism sector’s contribution to national income has reached 3%.
This effect resulted in an increase in the number of workers in the tourism sector and reliance on tourism as a secondary source of income in addition to the oil sector.
The tourism industry’s contribution to economic development
According to the tourism report for Saudi Arabia, the tourism sector’s share of national income has reached 3% in recent years and is expected to reach 10% in the coming years. because of the Saudi government’s policies to improve the tourism sector and provide all facilities that contribute to an increase in the number of tourists wanting to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The cooperation of the tourism, sports, and entertainment sectors in improving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reach the rankings of the best international countries, so many small and medium-sized companies working in the field of entertainment were established, and the implementation of various entertainment events, and the employment of many to reduce the unemployment rate, and the hosting of international sports events, and the Kingdom was able To
Advantages of Tourism in Saudi Arabia
- Creating new and diverse job opportunities for Saudi citizens of both sexes
- Increasing the percentage of tourism’s contribution to the Kingdom’s gross national product
- Spreading Arab culture and civilization and highlighting Islamic culture
- Communicating the simple image of Arab culture to the outside world in order to realize the Arab personality
- Developing the Kingdom’s tourism sector with the assistance of international tourism experts
- The establishment of large specialized tourism companies that contribute to the development of hospitality units and the hotel industry in the Kingdom.
- Motivating Saudi citizens to learn different foreign languages to deal with tourists
Tourism Efforts in the Kingdom
The Saudi government is interested in tourism and developing it in a way that ensures the achievement of the future vision for 2030 and ensures the strong return of tourism in Saudi Arabia. As a result, the government has undertaken some projects that directly contribute to the development of the tourism sector, most notably:
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s largest entertainment city
The Kingdom’s tourism efforts have been directed toward establishing the largest entertainment, sports, and cultural city in the world, as well as an integrated city that meets the needs of citizens and tourists for entertainment, sports, and culture. This city is situated to the southwest of the capital.
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Red Sea Development Initiative
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a project to develop the Red Sea along the Red Sea’s shore, which is located on 50 natural islands between the cities of Umluj and Al-Wajh. As a result, it is an excellent tourist destination.
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The world’s largest Islamic museum
The Kingdom intends to build a prestigious Islamic Museum that will house all information about ancient Islamic history and serve as a wonderful destination for citizens and tourists alike. The Islamic Museum in Makkah, the Battle of Badr Museum, and some Islamic history sites, including open museums like Jabal Al-Nour, Jabal Thawr, and Jabal Uhud.
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The NEOM project
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intends to build a global integrated city that will span three countries and be located in the Kingdom’s northwest. Create new jobs and boost the Kingdom’s gross domestic product.
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Obtaining an electronic tourist visa
In 2019, the electronic visa was issued for the first time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s history. It is intended to allow expatriates to enter Saudi Arabia by obtaining a visa electronically from the Ministry of Tourism’s website or upon arrival at one of the Kingdom’s ports. The visa is valid for one year and allows you to travel between all of the Kingdom’s cities, with a maximum stay of 90 days. In addition, 49 countries were granted the ability to obtain an electronic visa. A tourism report for Saudi Arabia contains more information on electronic tourist visas.
What are Saudi Arabia’s tourism strategies for 2030?
According to a tourism report for Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intends to strengthen the tourism sector in order to become a tourism force in the Arab region and around the world by implementing a set of tourism objectives within the 2030 vision, which represents a set of strategies represented by the following:
- Creating one million new jobs in the tourism sector, bringing the total to 1.6 million
- As stated in a tourism report for Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is working to improve the tourism sector and increase its contribution to the Saudi domestic product to more than 10% of GDP.
- Increasing the number of Muslim visitors to the Kingdom to perform Hajj and Umrah to 30 million, and attracting 100 million tourists annually to Saudi Arabia by 2030
- Building new hotel rooms with cutting-edge technology throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Improving infrastructure and services in the Kingdom to provide the best tourist experience for visitors
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia domestic tourism
Domestic tourism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays a significant role in increasing the Kingdom’s local income in all of its cities, including Riyadh, Taif, Tabuk, Qurayyat, Najran, Buraydah, Jizan, and Al-Jawf, where the Saudi government fully supports many festivals specializing in cultural and recreational activities. The famous Souk Okaz is organized to attract as many visitors as possible to enjoy this wonderful atmosphere.
The number of Saudi visitors
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the first tourist destination for a large number of tourists in the Arabian Peninsula region, according to a tourism report for Saudi Arabia. In addition to the ease of movement in Saudi cities between archaeological sites, King Salman has established many facilities and reserves that contribute to the revitalization of tourism and increased the number of tourists from all over the world, and the number of tourists in Saudi Arabia recently reached 3 million according to the tourism report for Saudi Arabia, and the authorities want to double these numbers in the coming years within the framework of Vision 2030.
A Tourism Report for Saudi Arabia
If you want to have a one-of-a-kind experience and spend a holiday that will be difficult to forget, Saudi Arabia is your first choice for fun times by subscribing to tourist trips Saudi Arabia to the best tourist place according to a tourism report for Saudi Arabia, the most important of which are:
- Royal Saudi Air Force Museum: It was established in 1920 in Riyadh to attract visitors to learn about the Saudi Air Force, handicrafts, and historical events.
- The Grand Mosque: The Grand Mosque has significant religious and historical significance because it houses the Kaaba, which is visited by tourists from all over the world.
- Al-Masjid al-Nabawi: This mosque can be found in Medina. It is notable for its beautiful construction, which reflects the amazing architecture, as well as its magnificent green dome and beautiful canopies.
- King’s Fountain: It is located in the Red Sea city of Jeddah and is the tallest fountain in the world, reaching a height of 853 meters.
- Mada’in Saleh: This area, located 300 kilometers from Jeddah, contains rock carvings and wells that once held fresh water.
- Kingdom Tower: It is one kilometer long and is located in the city of Jeddah. It is the tallest structure and a skyscraper. It has beautiful hotels and office spaces, as well as a circular balcony and a glass floor that highlights the beauty of the Red Sea.
Conclusion
We presented you with a report on tourism in Saudi Arabia at the end of this article, and we discussed the importance of tourism in Saudi Arabia as well as the impact of tourism on the Saudi economy. We also discussed the Kingdom’s tourism efforts and the strategies that the Kingdom has put in place to develop the tourism sector.
According to a tourism report for Saudi Arabia, the number of tourists in the Kingdom is expected to reach 3 million by 2021. The Kingdom’s tourism and entertainment investment budget was 810 billion dollars. You can obtain more statistics and a tourism report for Saudi Arabia by visiting the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Tourism.
Dear reader, you can learn more about Saudi tourism by reading Travel Guide for Tourism in Saudi Arabia. You can also learn more about Saudi Arabia by reading our Saudi Visitors Blog articles.