The Kingdom ranked #41 in the World Economic Forum’s Travel andTourism Development Index for 2024(pdf), moving up nine spots from #50 in the previous edition. Saudi, along with the UAE, were the only high-income economies to rank among the index’s top 10 most improved scores between 2019 and 2024. Saudi showed the most improvement in the index and ranking in the region since 2019.

Methodology: The index compiles air travel data, labor statistics, telecommunication, environmental, tourism figures, health data and economic data on 119 countries from IATA, ICAO, the World Bank, Unesco, UN Tourism, the World Trade Organization, World Health Organisation, and others.

In context: The Tourism Ministry recently doubled its target for 2030, aiming now to host 150 mn tourist trips after it hit its target last year ahead of schedule. The new 2030 target envisages 80 mn trips by domestic travelers and 70 mn by international travelers.

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