RIYADH — The number of foreign tourists who arrived in Saudi Arabia during the second quarter of the year 2022 recorded a huge increase on an annual basis, reaching 3.6 million, according to the data released by the Ministry of Investment. The number of domestic tourists increased by 42.3 percent to 21.4 million tourists during the period. The latest monthly bulletin of the ministry showed that spending by international tourists in the Kingdom jumped to SR27 billion in the first six months of 2022, with an increase in the number of incoming tourists to 6.1 million. The total number of foreign and domestic tourists accounted for 46 million during the period. The ministry stated that spending by inbound tourists jumped by 570 percent in the second quarter of 2022, reaching SR15.7 billion, and domestic tourism spending increased by 31.5 percent in the same period to SR22.7 billion. The tourism sector has become one of the most promising sectors in the Kingdom as it contributes to achieving the ambitious transformation plan and diversifying sources of income under Vision 2030. According to the vision, the tourism sector aims to raise its direct contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) to more than 10 percent and to reach 100 million international and local tourists. The Kingdom advanced 10 positions to rank 33 in the travel and tourism development index.
