Saudi Arabia attracts 4.9 mln foreign tourists in 2M 2023: Al Khateeb

Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism

The Saudi tourism sector hit historical records in terms of occupancy and number of foreign visitors, the state-run SPA reported, citing Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb.

The number of visitors reached 2.4 million in January, and increased to 2.5 million in February. 

Saudi Arabia targets 25 million foreign tourists, Al Khateeb said in a previous statement.

Al Khateeb also called on investors and nationals for abiding by the new regulations approved by the ministry to upgrade the sector, noting that the grace period offered for status correction will end on March 25.

Regulations are clear and everyone in the tourism sector should adhere to them.

Elsewhere, Al Khateeb added that localization is an undebatable issue, as many nationals seek to work in this sector. The ministry trained more than 100,000 male and female youth, of whom 10,400 were trained abroad. The Kingdom spent over SAR 400 million on this training.