Saudi Arabia's inbound tourism spend hits SAR 86.9B in H1 2023

Logo of Ministry of Tourism

The Ministry of Tourism issued preliminary data for tourism statistics for H1 2023, where the total number of overnight tourists for all purposes in the Kingdom reached 53.6 million, with 14.6 million inbound tourists and 39 million domestic tourists. 

Total tourism spending amounted to SAR 150 billion, with SAR 86.9 billion from inbound tourism and SAR 63.1 billion from domestic tourism during the same period. 

Meanwhile, inbound tourism recorded historic numbers in H1 2023, with a surge of 142% year-on-year (YoY) in the number of tourists and a 132% YoY rise in the rate of tourism spending. 

The number of incoming tourists grew for all purposes, with leisure tourists showing the highest growth of 347% YoY. 

Domestic tourism also saw a 16% YoY in spending in H1 2023 due to the increase in the average length of stay from 4.6 nights in H1 2022 to 6.3 nights in H1 2023.  

Leisure was the top purpose in the number of visitors, achieving an increase of 18% YoY, accounting for 43% of all domestic tourists’ trips. 

Outgoing tourism, both citizens and non-Saudi residents, rose by 37% YoY, with spending climbing 74% YoY during the same period. The rise in overall tourist departures was spurred by the return to pre-pandemic conditions in most destinations around the world, in addition to the start of the summer season and school break in June. 

Outbound non-Saudi tourists constituted 45% of the total outbound tourists, a rise of 24% YoY, while their spending amounted to about 66% of the total outbound expenditure. 

The average length of stay for non-Saudi residents in H1 2023 was 45.5 nights, compared to 19.3 nights a year ago. 

In addition, Saudi outbound tourists jumped 49% YoY, especially to neighboring countries. Saudi outbound tourism spending rose by 32% YoY, while the average spend per night fell from SAR 559 in H1 2022 to SAR 332 in H1 2023.