RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s international leisure tourism is forecast to expand by 93 percent between 2025 and 2030, outpacing projected growth of 64 percent across the Middle East and 30 percent globally.

The forecast, measured by overnight arrivals, was published by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, in a report presented at WTM Spotlight Riyadh.

International travel to the Kingdom grew by 67 percent between 2019 and 2025, compared with 20 percent across the Middle East and 5 percent globally, according to the report.

Driving global growth

The Kingdom generated around three-quarters of the region’s international travel growth over the period and accounted for approximately 15 percent of global travel growth since 2019.

“Saudi Arabia has rapidly emerged as one of the world’s most dynamic visitor economies,” said Dave Goodger, managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Tourism Economics.

He added that international visitors now account for nearly half of all nights spent in the Kingdom, reflecting the development of tourism into an increasingly important source of external demand.

The share of international visitor spending generated by leisure travelers rose from 9 percent in 2019 to 28 percent in 2025 and is expected to reach 31 percent by 2030.

The projection follows continued growth in Saudi Arabia’s wider tourism sector. The Kingdom received 123 million domestic and inbound tourists in 2025, up around 6 percent from the previous year, while their combined spending reached a record SR304 billion, according to the Ministry of Tourism’s annual statistical report.

The total included 29.3 million inbound tourists, who spent SR176.6 billion. Official DataSaudi figures showed that leisure travelers accounted for 7 million, or 24.1 percent, of inbound tourists during the year.

Mohanad Nada, head of GCC at travel platform Tumodo, said the next phase should focus on attracting higher-value visitors and increasing the duration of their trips.

“Saudi Arabia has already demonstrated that it can generate significant international travel demand. The next phase is about shifting the mix toward higher-value leisure tourism and increasing both length of stay and spend per visitor,” Nada told Arab News.

He added that more direct international routes to destinations such as the Red Sea and AlUla, improved domestic connections and a wider range of accommodation would help support multi-destination trips.

Combining culture, adventure, wellness, gastronomy and entertainment into complete itineraries could also encourage visitors to stay longer.

China and hotel outlook

The WTM report stated that separate research from Dragon Trail International found that 52 percent of surveyed Chinese travel agents already sell Saudi Arabia, while 32 percent viewed the Kingdom as one of the destinations offering the greatest potential for Chinese tourism.

Among the agents surveyed, 42 percent identified high-net-worth and luxury travelers as the segment with the strongest potential for recovery and growth in the Middle East and North Africa.

Nature and scenery were cited by 54 percent of respondents as particularly appealing to their customers, followed by adventure and outdoor activities at 45 percent.

Saudi Arabia’s hospitality market is also expected to benefit from rising demand. STR forecasts that revenue per available room in Riyadh will increase by 18.6 percent in 2027 as returning corporate and consultancy demand outpaces additions to hotel supply.

Jeddah is expected to add more than 2,300 hotel rooms in 2027, with domestic and international demand, including travel connected to Hajj and Umrah, continuing to support the market.