According to the news of Tourism FM foreign news service, the first and only news radio of the tourism sector, Saudi Arabia attracted 27 million foreign tourists in 2023 and more than doubled its target for 2030, Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khatib said at the conference organised by the Saudi Arabian wealth fund that they have reached over 100 million tourists, 77 million of which are domestic and 27 million from abroad.
Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khatib also noted that the target of 100 million tourists in 2030 was reached early, and the new target has been raised to 150 million, with 70 million of them expected to come from abroad, more than double the previous target of 30 million.
Tourism is a key element of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform agenda, which aims to help the world's largest crude oil exporter transition away from fossil fuels and prepare for an eventual post-oil future.
Home to Islam's holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia has long welcomed pilgrims as well as business travellers, but only introduced its general tourism visa in 2019, just months before the coronavirus pandemic hit the industry globally.
New resorts built by Saudi Arabia on the red sea coast are expected to be a major attraction, but recent attacks on Red Sea vessels by Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen have revived security concerns in the region.