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RIYADH: ����ֱ��’s tourism industry is a “beacon” of innovation, according to a UN body after the Kingdom exceeded its Vision 2030 target of welcoming 100 million visitors a year.

The UN’s World Tourism Organization joined with the World Travel and Tourism Council to congratulate ����ֱ�� on reaching the goal seven years ahead of schedule.

UNWTO also suggested that the Kingdom could soon achieve its upgraded target of attracting 150 million visitors by 2030. 

����ֱ��’s Ministry of Tourism disclosed that the Kingdom played host to 27.5 million international holiday makers in 2023, marking a notable 65 percent increase compared to 2022. 

Likewise, the count of domestic tourists rose by 2 percent year-on-year, reaching 79.3 million in 2023.  

“����ֱ��’s achievement of welcoming over 100 million tourists in 2023 is a beacon of what is possible through collaboration, innovation, and a clear vision for the future,” stated UNWTO in a statement.  

“As ����ֱ�� continues to drive toward its goal of 150 million tourists by 2030, UN Tourism looks forward to supporting its journey, celebrating its successes, and promoting a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive future for global tourism,” it added. 

According to the UNWTO statement, ����ֱ�� has generated over 925,500 jobs in the tourism sector as of 2023, positioning the Kingdom on track to make tourism the second-largest employer by the end of this decade. 

Collectively, both international and domestic tourists spent more than SR250 billion ($67 billion), constituting over 4 percent of the Kingdom’s total gross domestic product and 7 percent of non-oil GDP, the Saudi Press Agency reported. 

“This achievement underscores the dedicated efforts of the Saudi tourism ecosystem in developing the tourism sector in Saudi,” said the ministry in an X post.  

Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb attributed this achievement to the wise leadership of the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who aims to enhance the Kingdom’s position on the global travel map. 

����ֱ��’s accomplishments align with the National Tourism Strategy, striving to establish the Kingdom as a global tourist destination and increase the sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP by 10 percent.