Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector set a new Saudi Arabia tourism record in 2025, drawing nearly 123 million domestic and international visitors who spent a combined SR304 billion (about $81 billion), according to the Ministry of Tourism’s Annual Statistical Report 2025. The spending figure rose 7 percent year on year, underscoring how travel and hospitality have become one of the strongest engines of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 diversification drive away from oil.
The results confirm that tourism is no longer a secondary ambition but a core pillar of the non-oil economy, delivering foreign-exchange earnings, jobs and investment at scale. Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said the sector demonstrated “not only growth in visitor activity but also the emergence of tourism as a significant driver of economic and social progress.”
Breaking down the numbers
The 2025 total split into two clear streams. Inbound international tourism accounted for 29.3 million visitors, who spent SR176.6 billion (roughly $47 billion). Domestic travel was even larger by volume, with 93.3 million trips generating SR127.1 billion (about $33.9 billion) in spending.
- Total visitors: nearly 123 million (up about 6 percent year on year)
- Total tourism spending: SR304 billion / $81 billion (up 7 percent)
- Inbound visitors: 29.3 million, spending SR176.6 billion
- Domestic trips: 93.3 million, spending SR127.1 billion
- Travel account surplus: SR49.4 billion
Notably, the mix of inbound travel is shifting. Non-religious overnight visits reached 52 percent of inbound tourism in 2025, up from 44 percent in 2019, a sign that leisure, business and cultural travel are catching up with the Kingdom’s traditional Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage flows.
Jobs and a widening workforce
Beyond headline spending, the sector’s social impact is significant. Tourism-related industries supported roughly 1.03 million jobs in 2025. Among Saudi nationals working in tourism, women now represent around 47 percent of the workforce, a striking jump from just 5 percent at the end of 2018. That shift reflects broader labour-market reforms that have opened new sectors to Saudi women over the past several years.
Tourism’s contribution to gross domestic product reached about 4.9 percent, and travel now makes up a majority of the Kingdom’s services exports, highlighting its growing weight in the national accounts.
How it fits Vision 2030
Saudi Arabia originally aimed to attract 100 million annual visitors by 2030, a target it passed years ahead of schedule. The Kingdom then raised its ambition to 150 million visitors a year by 2030, split between roughly 70 million international arrivals and 80 million domestic trips. The 2025 result puts the country firmly on that trajectory.
Tourism sits at the heart of the wider economic transformation. Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy has been expanding steadily, and travel and hospitality are among the six priority ecosystems the government and the Public Investment Fund are backing with major projects, from Red Sea resorts to entertainment and cultural destinations. For visitors planning a trip, entry has also been simplified in recent years through expanded e-visa and tourist-visa options; our Saudi Arabia visa 2026 complete guide breaks down the current routes.
What it means and the outlook
The record spending matters because it shows tourism is generating real, recurring revenue rather than one-off spikes. Rising leisure travel diversifies demand beyond the pilgrimage calendar, smoothing seasonality and creating year-round employment. For expatriates and businesses across the Gulf, the boom also signals sustained demand for hospitality, retail, transport and services in cities such as Riyadh and Jeddah, where living costs and opportunities are shifting; see our cost of living in Jeddah 2026 expat budget guide for context.
The challenge now is capacity. Hitting 150 million visitors by 2030 will require continued build-out of hotels, airports, attractions and skilled staff, along with steady improvements in the visitor experience. If the current pace holds, Saudi Arabia is on course to become one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism destinations and to lock in tourism as a durable, non-oil source of growth for the decade ahead.
