Saudi was among the world’s best-performing destinations for tourist arrivals in 2023in comparison with 2019, welcoming 56% more international visitors, according to the World Tourism Barometer report (pdf) by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) for January. The report zeroes in on 2019 as the pre-pandemic high water mark.

On the list of “best-performing large destinations,” Saudi ranks #1 when you measure by volume (or the growth in number of arrivals).

The challenge now: To get those tourists to spend more. The Kingdom doesn’t make the list of best-performing destinations by growth in receipts, where Turkey (+59%), Portugal (+38%), and Morocco (+34%) come out on top.

We’re also the #3 market in terms of recovery of outbound spending (ie: nationals and folks living in Saudi, but traveling abroad), up 52% from before covid-19. Ukraine, Romania, the United Kingdom, and Norway rounded out the top five.

The global industry is yet to recover from covid-19, the data shows. Total receipts in the global industry were down 12% in 2023 compared to 2019, while total arrivals were down 7%. Still: That’s progress. The industry down 25% from 2019 in total receipts in 2022.

And industry insiders think it’s going to get better: 63% of respondents in the Middle East to a UNWTO poll of experts think 2025 is going to be “better” or “much better.”

What’s weighing on the recovery? According to respondents to the poll:

  • The economic environment: 69%
  • Higher transport and accommodation costs: 55%
  • Extreme weather events: 28%
  • The war in Gaza: 24%

BACKGROUND- The Tourism Ministry recently more thandoubled its tourism target for 2030, hoping now to be host to 150 mn tourist trips after it hit last year an earlier target of 100 mn ahead of plan. The new 2030 target sees 80 mn by domestic travelers and 70 mn by international travelers.

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