Jeddah: Saudi Arabia aims to triple the number of tourists. Ahmed al-Khatib, the Minister of Tourism and a member of the board of directors of NEOM, said that Saudi Arabia aims to triple its number of foreign visitors by 2022 by easing restrictions on the Kovid-19 epidemic and the return of foreign pilgrims.
The number of domestic travelers increased in 2020 and 2021. Authorities have recorded a record number of 64 million visits. Al-Khatib told the AFP news agency that the country wanted to gain an additional share of the international market. “Now we are trying to attract more foreign visitors,” he said. The target for this year is 12 million visitors, compared to the four million visitors in 2021.
The mega projects started by the Saudi Crown Prince are part of the country’s plans to attract foreign tourists. At the forefront of these projects is the future city of Neom with an investment of 500 billion riyals, as well as the development of Diaria. According to al-Khatib, restaurants in Diriya will open next September. Other areas will be operational from 2025.
‘This is a new level of tourism that does not exist now. But Arabia will change the tourism landscape globally. The destinations that Saudi Arabia promises by 2030 will be completely different, ”he added.
As a result of the improvement in almost all indicators, Saudi Arabia has risen from 43rd in 2019 to 33rd in 2021 in the global tourism rankings. This is the first report after the reopening of Saudi Arabia’s historic sites and other attractions for international tourism.