São Paulo – Saudi Arabia saw SAR 13.5 billion (USD 3.6 billion) in domestic tourism revenues during summer this year. The country registered 11.3 million tourists over summer, up 12% from last year, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) reported this week.
Saudi Arabia welcomed 2.3 million foreign tourists, up 21.2% year-on-year, with revenue reaching SAR 8.7 billion (USD 2.3 billion), up 15.9%. This does not include religious travelers. The Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, took place in August this year – i.e., summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
The country is pushing to promote itself as a destination for non-religious travelers, by advertising natural and historic sites and hosting international events, especially sports ones. This is part of an economic diversification plan championed by crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
The western portion of the country welcomed the bulk of non-domestic travelers over summer, at 45% of total numbers. Next came the capital, Riyadh, at 27%, and Mecca at 16%. Tourists flocked in to visit family and friends (39%), do business (31%) and shopping (12%).
Most non-domestic tourists in Saudi Arabia – 50.8% – were from other Arab countries in the Gulf. Other travelers were from Southern Asia (15.2%), other Middle East countries (12.8%), Europe (6.2%), the United States (5.7%), East Asia and the Pacific (4.9%), Africa (2.5%) and elsewhere (1.8%).
Domestic travelers favored the Mecca region 31%, Asir (18%), the eastern region of Saudi Arabia (12%) and Ryiadh (11%). These locals travelled for leisure (51%), to visit family or friends (35), to go shopping (5%) and to do business (4%).
During the summer season, 9.4 million Saudis travelled to other countries, up 7.4% from 2017. They spent a combined SAR 30.5 billion (USD 8.1 billion) down 4.6% year-on-year.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
