Saudi tourism Q1 performance ‘historic, unprecedented’, says Minister

photo of Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb described the performance of the tourism sector during the first quarter of 2023 as historic and unprecedented, in terms of the number of tourists and spending, Saudi Press Agency reported.
 

He also indicated that the sector delivered an outstanding performance during the holy month of Ramadan. 
 

“Over six million pilgrims from inside and outside the Kingdom performed Umrah with record occupancy rates in Makkah and Madinah hotels,” Al Khateeb said during his monthly meeting with investors.  

“This strong start is promising and encouraging as the ministry is intensifying efforts to launch the summer season campaign for this year, while all sectors are ready for a strong and attractive tourism season. More than SAR 600 million were allocated to introduce the wonderful tourist destinations all over the Kingdom,” he said.

The ministry is keen on receiving all recommendations as well as feedback to enhance partnerships as well as mutual work, in order to boost the tourism industry, in line with Vision 2030.

The meeting reviewed the preliminary results achieved during the first quarter.  Q1 2023 total domestic tourism expenditure grew 45% year-on-year (YoY), backed by the inbound tourism this year and the highest quarterly number of foreign tourists for all purposes, which is estimated at 7.8 million, with a growth rate of 64% compared to the first quarter of 2019.

These results were backed by the remarkable progress in related fields, promotion campaigns in the target states, and higher demand for the Umrah visas, the minister said.

The number of inbound leisure tourists surged 581% YoY in the first quarter of 2023, thanks to the simplified electronic visa procedures and remarkable growth in facilities and services at the tourist destinations, he said.

Al-Khateeb noted that the number of visitors from the GCC and the Middle East countries grew 107% compared to 2019, while the number of tourists from East Asia, especially Indonesia and Malaysia, increased 49% with the number of those coming from the European countries, especially Turkey, France, Russia, Italy and Germany, rising 50%.

Makkah topped the tourist destinations in terms of the number of tourists, at 4.4 million, with Riyadh ranking second. This was backed by higher numbers of tourist visas as well as those coming for family and friend visits.

Dammam and Al-Khobar achieved a 96% rise in the total number of tourists arriveing in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2019, due to growing number of visitors and tourists from Bahrain and Qatar, for the purposes of entertainment and visiting families and friends.

Jeddah reported a 247% surge in the tourist number, while Al-Ahsa reported a 419% hike with the return of tourism movement from Qatar and the increase in the number of tourists from other GCC countries.