Easy tourist visas boost Saudi tourism attractiveness: Minister

Saudi Arabia made positive strides in the tourism industry, mirroring its success in the other fields of business.

These strides were witnessed in the World Tourism Barometer by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and world tourism revenue for 2022, said Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb.

Al Khateeb indicated that facilitating the tourist visa procedures and the promotion campaigns in the target destinations, together with the diversification of options, helped make these strides.

The Ministry of Tourism continues efforts in cooperation with all partners from the public and private sectors to make the Kingdom a global tourism destination.

The UNWTO report confirmed that the Kingdom advanced significantly in the ranking of the countries, receiving the highest number of international tourists, reaching the 13th place in 2022 after advancing 12 positions. The Kingdom received 16.6 million tourists for all purposes in 2022.

The Kingdom also advanced 16 notches in the international tourism revenue index to the 11th rank in 2022 compared to the 27th in 2019 worldwide, according to the World Tourism Barometer Report.

The Kingdom received 7.8 million international tourists for all purposes during the first quarter of 2023, representing the highest quarterly historical performance, a growth of 64% compared to the same period in 2019, ranking second among the world's most developed countries during the period.