The Ministry of Tourism announced that the Kingdom has achieved this milestone seven years ahead of the initial goal according to the latest data. Motivated by this success, the Kingdom has now set a new ambitious target of welcoming 150 million tourists by 2030.

Tourism has proven to be a significant contributor to the nation's economy, with domestic and international tourists spending over 250 billion riyals in 2023. This expenditure represents over 4 percent of GDP and 7 percent of the non-oil GDP reflecting the crucial role of tourism in diversifying Saudi Arabia's economy.

H.E. Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb, commented, "This announcement demonstrates the scale of our transformation since the National Tourism Strategy was launched five years ago. Tourism is a key pillar in the nation's economic transformation under Vision 2030, creating jobs and revenue for the Kingdom. We thank both UN Tourism and WTTC as valued partners in our journey for their shared commitment to a sustainable and prosperous tourism sector."

The tourism sector in the Kingdom has marked significant qualitative leaps, with the total number of tourists, both domestic and international, reaching 106.2 million in 2023. This represents a remarkable increase of 56 percent compared to 2019 and a substantial 12 percent surge compared to 2022. Among these, the number of international tourists reached 27.4 million, showing a substantial 56 percent increase from 2019 and an impressive 65 percent rise compared to 2022.