Saudi Arabia welcomed 123mn tourists in 2025 and generated $81bn in tourism spending, with licensed hotel rooms more than doubling since 2023, according to the Vision 2030 Annual Report 2025. The figures position the Kingdom as the world’s fastest-growing major inbound market and signal sustained opportunity for trade buyers across hotel investment, MICE and luxury segments.
The Kingdom recorded 30mn-plus international visitors over the year, having already exceeded its original 2030 target of 100mn visitors ahead of schedule and revising its ambition upward to 150mn by the end of the decade, according to data released and seen by Emerging Travel on April 26.
International tourism revenues grew 252% in the first quarter of 2025 against the same period in 2019, the highest rate of any country tracked in the UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer (September 2025). The next-fastest performers were Serbia, Norway, Japan and Türkiye who trailed at 150%, 106%, 103% and 100% respectively.
Hotel inventory more than doubles in two years
Interestingly, trade-relevant supply data shows the scale of capacity expansion. Licensed rooms rose from 280,800-plus at the end of 2023 to 596,900-plus in 2025, an increase of more than 113%. Licensed tourism facilities reached 5,937 in 2025.
Tourism’s share of GDP reached 5% in 2025, against a 2030 target of 10%, with cumulative tourism investment exceeding $3bn in growth terms over the period. Tourism employment reached more than 1mn, with women holding 47% of roles — a striking figure given the sector’s historically male skew across the GCC.
Domestic market also delivers
Saudi Summer 2025 alone drew 24mn-plus domestic tourists and generated more than $10bn in domestic spending, up 2% and 21% respectively on 2024. The growing domestic market gives operators a year-round revenue base less exposed to inbound seasonality.
Domestic tourist numbers reached 93mn-plus in 2025, up from 45mn-plus in 2016, while inbound visitors climbed to 29mn-plus, against just 3mn-plus in 2021 during pandemic disruption.
Destination breakdown
Red Sea: The destination welcomed 50,000-plus tourists since opening, with five resorts awarded Michelin Keys and $533mn in residential sales recorded. New 2025 openings include Shura Island with three luxury hotels, SLS, EDITION and InterContinental, alongside the launch of Red Sea Health and the InterContinental Red Sea winning Best Hotel Design at the Commercial Interior Design Awards.
AlUla: Airport capacity has expanded to 700,000-plus passengers, with the destination winning Best Cultural Tourism Project in the Middle East at the World Travel Awards for three consecutive years.
Diriyah: The heritage destination drew 3.6mn-plus visitors and has secured more than $6.6bn in projects and awarded contracts. Eight major projects are under development, with five luxury hotels and branded residences announced. Diriyah Company was named in TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies.
Madinah: Visitor numbers climbed from 8.2mn in 2022 to 21mn-plus in 2025, supported by the launch of a dedicated tourism brand and the city’s 2025 entry into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for gastronomy.
Riyadh Season: The sixth edition drew 17mn-plus visitors with an estimated $3.2bn brand value, hosting 2,100-plus participating companies, of which 95% were Saudi.
MICE and exhibitions infrastructure scaling fast
Furthermore, exhibitions and conferences sector revenue contributed $2.67bn to GDP, with 10% growth over five years — among the fastest in the G20. Exhibition space reached 300,000-plus square metres across 923 accredited venues, a 320% increase on 2018. The number of registered companies in the sector rose to 17,000-plus, up from 400 in 2018, with 13 international organisers now operating in the Kingdom and 70% of leading global companies represented.
For trade event organisers and exhibition businesses, the data points to a maturing market with both the venue infrastructure and the operator ecosystem to support large-scale international programmes.
Yachting and luxury segments open up
In 2025, three regulatory frameworks covering Saudi yachts, visiting yachts and superyacht chartering were issued, opening a new high-yield segment to international yacht charter operators and luxury travel specialists. The move follows the launch of the Aroya Cruise voyages in 2024 and aligns with Red Sea destination positioning.
Major events anchor 2026-34 pipeline
Riyadh has been confirmed as host of Expo 2030, with the BIE Final Registration Dossier approved in half the usual timeframe, and Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA World Cup 2034. Both events sit at the centre of long-range bed-night demand projections and offer a clear booking horizon for tour operators, MICE planners and travel insurance underwriters.
Implications for trade buyers
The 2025 data points to a market where supply is keeping pace with demand: hotel inventory has more than doubled in two years, exhibition space has tripled since 2018, and visa access has expanded to 66 countries via the electronic visit visa. The 252% growth in international tourism revenues against 2019 places Saudi Arabia at the top of UN Tourism’s global ranking.
For DMOs, hospitality investors, MICE planners and luxury travel specialists, the combination of a tripled inbound market, government-backed destination pipeline and confirmed mega-events through 2034 represents one of the more visible long-cycle opportunities in the wider Middle East market.
The 2026 outlook will hinge on the pace of new room openings, the rollout of the digital tourism guide Sarah, and progress against the revised 150mn-visitor target now anchoring the Kingdom’s third Vision 2030 phase.