JEDDAH, 27 June 2003 — Since the summer of 1999, tourism has been growing into a significant element of the Saudi economy. The Western Region in particular has become a leading tourist destination in the Kingdom, with 8.6 million local tourists and 3.6 million tourists from abroad, according to a new survey.
The survey, issued by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), said the Eastern Province came second with 1.4 million tourists mostly from the GCC states, while the Southern Region has also developed niches in summer tourism with 2.3 million local tourists. The survey expects that within the next 20 years, the number of international tourists in the Kingdom will increase to 11 million per year.
Earlier, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, said that the Kingdom was expecting around SR4.5 billion in tourism revenues by 2007. He also noted that the commission believes the sector will promote small and medium projects and attract domestic and foreign investment to establish tourism infrastructure and create more jobs for Saudis.
