Several years ago, Saudi Arabia announced an ambitious target of 100 million tourist visits by 2030. That figure was passed in 2023, seven years ahead of schedule, according to Mahmoud Abdulhadi, deputy minister of tourism destinations enablement.
He said that of the 106 million, 27 million came from outside the country and the goal now is to substantially increase visitation from North America because he said, “visitors from North America are generally higher spending.”
While his ministry is only about four years old, Saudi Arabia has always had a tourism industry, though it was…
