GCC tourist spending in Saudi Arabia tops $4bn in 2023: Report
RIYADH, August 4, 2024
The tourism sector in Saudi Arabia flourished in 2023, with 8.6 million visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries injecting over SAR15 billion into the economy, reported SPA citing the annual statistics data from the Ministry of Tourism.
The report identified Bahrain as the top GCC source market, with 3.4 million tourists, followed by Kuwait with 2.3 million, the UAE with 1.4 million, Qatar with 1.1 million, and Oman with 455,000 visitors.
Overall, in 2023, Saudi Arabia welcomed a staggering 27 million international visitors who spent SAR141 billion in the kingdom. The combined number of domestic and international tourists surpassed 109 million, it stated.
The Ministry report highlights the strong growth and performance of the Saudi tourism sector, driven by increased visitor numbers from the GCC and other world regions.
This has contributed significantly to the Saudi economy, and demonstrated the kingdom's appeal as a premier tourism destination.
