Saudi Arabia ranked first in the world in terms of growth in international tourism spending during the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same period in 2019.
This was revealed in the latest World Tourism Barometer published by the United Nations Tourism agency in May.
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb welcomed this achievement on X, saying it supports the Kingdom’s efforts to boost tourism as part of its Saudi Vision 2030.
The report also showed that the Kingdom placed third globally in the increase of international tourist arrivals and second in the Middle East for the same period.
International tourist arrivals to Saudi Arabia surged by 102 percent in Q1 of 2025 compared to Q1 of 2019. This is far above the global average growth of 3 percent and the Middle East regional average of 44 percent.
Tourism spending hit $13.2 billion
According to the Ministry’s report, the country reached SAR 49.4 billion or around $13.2 billion in international visitor spending in Q1 2025, a 9.7 percent rise from 2024.
Meanwhile, travel account surplus stood at SAR 26.8 billion, reflecting an 11.7 percent increase from the same period last year.
