Saudi Arabia’s international leisure tourism is set to grow by 93% by 2030, outpacing growth across the Middle East and globally, according to a new Tourism Economics report titled "Saudi Arabia: An Emerging Global Tourism Powerhouse," presented today at WTM Spotlight Riyadh.
The leisure's share of international visitor spending in the kingdom increased from 9% in 2019 to 28% last year and is now forecast to reach 31% by 2030.The forecast builds on a period of significant tourism expansion. Between 2019 and 2025, international travel to Saudi Arabia grew by 67%, compared with 20% across the Middle East and 5% globally, with the kingdom generating three-quarters of the region’s international travel growth during the period. Saudi Arabia also increased its share of the global international travel market.Speaking during the opening day of WTM Spotlight Riyadh, Dave Goodger, Managing Director, EMEA, Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, revealed that the kingdom’s international leisure travel, measured by overnight arrivals, is forecast to grow more than three times faster than the global average of 30% over the five-year period, and ahead of the Middle East at 64%.Dave Goodger, Managing Director, EMEA, Tourism Economics, said: “Saudi Arabia has rapidly emerged as one of the world’s most dynamic visitor economies, driving around 15% of global travel growth since 2019 and accounting for three-quarters of the Middle East’s expansion." "With international visitors now approaching half of all nights spent in the Kingdom, this is no longer a purely regional story but a powerful, export-driven tourism engine built on sustained investment, destination development, and a clear ambition to become a global tourism powerhouse," he stated.Tourism Economics’ analysis also shows its share of international leisure visitor spending increased from 9% in 2019 to 28% in 2025 and is expected to reach 31% by the end of the decade.The potential to attract higher-value international leisure visitors is further supported by research from Dragon Trail International, an official Research Partner for WTM Spotlight Riyadh 2026. As part of its partnership with the event, Dragon Trail has produced the Chinese Tourism to Saudi Arabia: Special Report 2026, combining consumer and travel trade research to examine the development of Chinese tourism to the Kingdom and identify the market segments and travel themes offering the strongest growth potential.Its research found that Saudi Arabia is already among the leading Mena destinations sold by the Chinese travel trade. More than half (52%) of the travel agents surveyed currently sell Saudi Arabia, while 32% identified the Kingdom as one of the destinations with the greatest future potential for Chinese tourism.
The luxury segment presents a particularly strong opportunity. Among Chinese travel agents surveyed, 42% identified high-net-worth and luxury travellers as the segment with the greatest potential for recovery and growth in the Mena region.The experiences these travellers seek also align with Saudi Arabia's expanding tourism proposition. Among Chinese travel agents surveyed, 54% identified nature and scenery as particularly attractive to their customers, followed by adventure and outdoor activities at 45%, museums and cultural landmarks at 41%, interactions with local people at 41%, and luxury resorts at 37%.The longer-term opportunity is also evident in Saudi Arabia’s hospitality sector, with exclusive research and forecast insights provided to WTM Spotlight Riyadh by STR, the global hospitality data and benchmarking specialist, highlighting resilient hotel demand and the outlook for performance across the Kingdom, it added.STR forecasts RevPAR in Riyadh to grow by 18.6% in 2027, as returning corporate and consultancy demand is expected to outpace new hotel supply. RevPAR growth is forecast to continue over the following four years as the capital expands its business and leisure economy in line with Vision 2030.In Jeddah, strong domestic and international demand, as a popular summer holiday destination and transit throughway for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, supported performance during the first half of 2026. However, rapid hotel supply growth remains a key consideration, with more than 2,300 new rooms expected to open in 2027. Both Riyadh and Jeddah are also expected to benefit from stronger MICE demand next year.Danielle Curtis, Regional Portfolio Director – UAE, RX, said: "The insights presented at WTM Spotlight Riyadh demonstrate that Saudi Arabia’s tourism transformation is increasingly translating into tangible economic and commercial opportunities.""The Kingdom has already achieved remarkable growth in visitor volumes, and the next phase is about building on that momentum by attracting high-value demand and ensuring the benefits extend throughout the tourism ecosystem," he added.-TradeArabia News Service