Saudi Arabia has registered a 20 per cent growth in the number of tourists visiting the kingdom from the neighbouring GCC countries, compared to last year, said a report.

According to the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), the Kingdom’s travel and tourism companies which participated in the recently concluded Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2014 in Dubai, estimated a 20 percent rate of increase in GCC tourism trips to Saudi Arabia compared to last year’s statistics, reported the Arab News, citing an official.

“They also estimated a 25-30 percent sales increase by Saudi companies in the ATM-2014 emphasizing that direct marketing in an event such as ATM is the best way to market products,” the official added.

Commenting on ATM which concluded on Thursday, the official said that the participants were excited as they had an opportunity to participate in the Saudi pavilion in ATM-2014, reach out for new clients and explore the experience of international travel companies in the areas of marketing and management of tourist destinations.