Saudi Arabia has reported its strongest visitor numbers on record, with arrivals climbing 23 per cent year-on-year as new direct flights from Asia and a series of high-profile attraction openings drew travellers well beyond the traditional GCC and pilgrimage markets.
Carriers added direct routes into Riyadh and Jeddah from Hanoi, Chengdu, Manila, and Almaty over the past 12 months, and tourism authorities said Asian leisure markets overtook Europe for the first time, accounting for 38 per cent of total international arrivals.
Hotel occupancy averaged 89 per cent across Riyadh during the peak season, with Riyadh Season programming and year-end bookings reportedly near full capacity. Operators of major entertainment districts said footfall in November was 31 per cent above the same month last year, while AlUla and the Red Sea destinations posted their strongest quarters since opening.
The performance keeps the Kingdom ahead of the visitor-economy targets set under Vision 2030, which aims to make tourism one of the largest non-oil contributors to GDP by the end of the decade.
Officials said new resort capacity coming online along the Red Sea coast, together with expanded e-visa eligibility, should sustain double-digit growth into next year.