ASIATODAY.ID, RIYADH – Saudi Arabian Tourism Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb said that the number of tourists in Saudi Arabia will increase significantly to more than 100 million during 2023.
He said that the Kingdom’s tourism sector last year met its target of 100 million tourists. Of the 100 million, 77 million are local tourists and 27 million foreign tourists, as reported by Gulf News, Sunday, February 11 2024.
Minister Al Khateeb on that occasion quoted the strategy mapped out by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This strategy aims to achieve a target of 150 million tourists in the country by 2030 including 80 million local tourists and 70 million foreign tourists.
The aim is also to make Saudi Arabia ranked among the top 10 world tourist attractions.
“The country has committed to training more than 100 thousand young men and women per year, including 15 thousand trained in the world’s best institutions to work in the tourism sector,” said Al Khateeb.
He added that the Tourism Development Fund, which was established in 2020, has funded more than 50 projects totaling around 35 billion Saudi riyals.
In recent years, the kingdom has introduced a series of facilities designed to attract more foreign tourists to the country as part of an ambitious development scheme designed to diversify its oil-dependent economy. This includes the issuance of tourist visas on arrival or online for citizens of some countries.
Entertainment tourism has recently experienced rapid progress in Saudi Arabia with a diverse calendar. Al Khateeb last month said his ministry had signed several agreements to introduce large hotels to the kingdom to improve hospitality facilities.
Saudi Arabia’s tourism contribution last year rose 4.5 percent to gross domestic product, according to the official.
Currently in Saudi Arabia there are 280 thousand hotel rooms, and the target is to reach 550 thousand hotel rooms by 2030. The private sector has signed contracts to build 75 thousand hotel rooms.
Al Khateeb emphasized that the quality of upcoming projects in the tourism sector related to hospitality facilities, both hotels and resorts, is very high.
Saudi Arabia has signed many agreements to enter large five-star hotels, and the best hospitality facilities will be available in Saudi Arabia.
“After the new tourism regulations were issued, we started implementing monitoring and inspection campaigns to ensure compliance,” he said. (ATN)
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