RIYADH: Spending by visitors to the Kingdom in the first three-quarters of last year rose to a record high of SR102.6 billion ($27.36 billion), according to data from the Saudi Central Bank.
The figure represents a 53 percent increase on tourist spending in the equivalent period of 2022, the Ministry of Tourism said in a post on X on Monday.
Outbound travelers from the Kingdom spent SR64.8 billion in the January to September period, creating a balance of payments surplus for the travel sector — inbound spending minus outbound spending — of SR37.8 billion, or 72 percent higher than it was for the same period of 2022.
According to a report by the UN’s World Tourism Organization, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ achieved one of the highest growth rates for inbound tourism among the G20 group of leading and developing nations in the first three-quarters of 2023.
The Kingdom’s tourism sector has rebounded well since the COVID-19 pandemic, with tourist destinations reporting increases in the number of both domestic and foreign visitors, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
