Saudi Arabia is eyeing 100mln tourists a year by 2030: minister

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s tourism ministry aims to raise the number of tourists visiting the Kingdom annually to 100 million by 2030, said Ahmed Al-Khateeb. In 2019, about 40 million tourists visited Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi tourism minister also said the ministry will soon announce five new projects, which will be supported by the Tourism Investment Fund.

The minister made the remarks during the announcement of the strategy for developing human capital in the tourism sector.

“This step will move the Kingdom’s current position in the tourism rank from 21 to the 5^th globally in the proportion of the number of tourists, thanks to the natural capabilities enjoyed by Saudi Arabia and the support provided by the government.

He pointed out that 40 percent of the total tourists worldwide go to historical places, and the Kingdom boasts of 100 historical sites, five of which are registered with the UNESCO Heritage List, in addition to the beautiful seacoasts, which are distinguished globally and an important element in attracting tourists.

He said that an additional 500,000 hotel rooms will be built with the support of the government and the private sectors over the period until 2030. By this period, the total number of workers in various sectors related to the tourism sector is estimated at 1.6 million as against the current figure of 600,000 workers, the majority of them are foreigners. The minister stated that around one million new job opportunities will be created for Saudis by the year 2030.