Travel

Saudi Arabia’s Push for Tourists Draws More Foreign Visitors

Kingdom welcomed 30 million international tourists last year
Saudi Arabia to host Asian Winter Games, World Expo, World Cup

Tourists at the ancient Nabataean site of Hegra in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Photographer: Jeremy Suyker/Bloomberg

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By Christine Burke

January 22, 2025 at 11:37 AM UTC

Updated on

January 22, 2025 at 11:59 AM UTC

Saudi Arabia said it received a record 30 million foreign tourists last year as the kingdom spends heavily on hotels, luxury projects and entertainment to transform itself into a hub for tourism.

The international arrival numbers, announced by Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb at the World Economic Forum in Davos, mark a rise from the roughly 27.5 million reported by the kingdom in 2023. Those figures include people that traveled to the country for religious pilgrimages, as well as for business and leisure.