by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Mon February 26, 2024
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced that
Saudi
Arabia achieved its goal of welcoming over 100 million tourists last year.
Saudi Arabia originally hoped to reach the massive milestone
by 2030, but over 27 million international and over 79 million domestic
tourists visited the Middle Eastern nation in 2023.
Tourism officials in Saudi
Arabia revealed a 390 percent surge in tourism activity license
applications last year, with travel and tourism’s impact and the country’s non-oil
gross value added (GVA) exceeding seven percent.
In total, inbound tourism spending topped $37 billion in
2023.
“As Saudi Arabia continues to expand its tourism
infrastructure and implement strategic reforms, the global Travel & Tourism
community looks forward to witnessing the Kingdom’s journey towards becoming a
global powerhouse,” the WTTC said in a statement.
“WTTC is committed to supporting Saudi Arabia's ambitions,
fostering sustainable development, and contributing to the sector’s global
recovery and prosperity,” the statement continued.
Saudi Arabia has also worked to reduce roadblocks for potential
visitors, with the Kingdom reducing annual government fees by almost 22 percent,
with a commitment to further reductions of up to 70 percent.
Earlier this month, data from the WTTC found that Saudi
Arabia is projected to invest nearly $50 billion in the travel
and tourism sector and will likely exceed that by 2025. By 2027,
projections see Saudi Arabia investing over $60 billion in the industry.
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