Budget 2026 targets SAR 351B in tourism spending, 20M Umrah pilgrims

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Saudi Arabia’s 2026 budget showed that the Kingdom’s tourism sector targets achieving total tourism spending of SAR 351 billion by the end of the year through offering tourism products and services with added value that are attractive to both domestic and international tourists.

The budget also aims to increase the number of Saudi nationals employed in the sector to 110,000 employees by 2026 through supporting employment programs, enhancing training and professional qualification, and expanding quality job opportunities across various tourism sectors.

In the Hajj and Umrah sector, the Kingdom targets receiving more than 20 million Umrah pilgrims from abroad during 2026, in addition to launching the “Nusuk” card for pilgrims, which will serve as a unified ID to facilitate access to pilgrim data and enhance the level of organization and service throughout the Umrah journey.

According to Argaam’s data, Saudi Arabia aims for the tourism sector to become the second-largest contributor to its economy, following the oil sector, by 2030, as the Ministry of Tourism is working to raise the sector’s contribution to around 10% of GDP by that year.