Saudi Tourism: Steering towards Vision 2030
ITB Berlin News spoke with Saudi Tourism Authority CEO Fahd Hamidaddin in an exclusive interview about Saudi’s skyrocketing arrival figures last year and the bright future that awaits the destination in the years to come
Saudi tourism is booming, with 27 million international visits counted in 2023. Saudi aims to further increase this figure to 70 million by the end of the decade, and has a range of strategies and campaigns in place to live up to this ambitious goal. CEO Fahd Hamidaddin outlined his optimistic vision for the future, underlining the importance of sustainability and accessibility.
Saudi tourism was present for the first time at ITB Berlin last year with an impressive stand and a large number of co-exhibitors. What can visitors expect from Saudi at ITB Berlin this year?
ITB Berlin 2023 was a huge success and brought a lot of awareness about the emergence of Saudi as a full-fledged tourism destination. Over 10 MoU partnerships were signed at ITB Berlin last year with conversations leading to more partnerships and opportunities in our tourism offerings. This year, Saudi Tourism Authority is improving awareness with European consumers to build demand which our partners will then be able to convert into bookings. As the most dynamic destination in the world, Saudi offers potential partners an opportunity for growth while delivering on its tourism commitments.
How well did Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry perform in 2023?
His Excellency Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb recently announced that Saudi saw more than 100 million tourists in 2023, including 27 million international visits. This represents 156% more arrivals in 2023 compared to 2019 according to the latest UNWTO Tourism Barometer. For the first nine months of 2023, UNWTO also named Saudi as the world’s second-fastest-growing tourist destination, and the leading one among G20 countries. Tourism’s contribution to GDP has risen to 6.4% marking progress towards a target of 10% by 2030, and the sector is set to create more than 560,000 jobs between 2024 and 2031.
ITB Berlin 2023 was a huge success and brought a lot of awareness about the emergence of Saudi as a full-fledged tourism destination.
Saudi’s Vision 2030 is a very ambitious tourism development plan. How is the plan progressing? What are some your most recent achievements, and what major developments can we expect for the coming year?
Vision 2030 aims to attract 150 million visits, including 70 million international tourists by 2030. To achieve this target, we have implemented many measures to stimulate arrivals. We have made access to Saudi Arabia easier than ever with our expanding eVisa programme. It now includes 63 countries and administrative regions and is also available for travellers holding a UK, US and Schengen visa. We have introduced a Stopover Visa for passengers travelling on national air carriers, SAUDIA, and flynas, enabling them to spend up to 96 hours in the Kingdom without any other administrative formalities.
We are also working on increasing air connectivity through a $100 billion (approximately €92 billion) Saudi Aviation Strategy that will see the number of new air routes more than doubling to 250 by 2030, while tripling annual passenger traffic to 330 million. Riyadh’s new King Salman International Airport will be one of the world’s largest airports with a capacity of 120 million travellers by 2030.
The Saudi Government has committed $800 billion (approximately €738 billion) to the sector with over $500 billion (approximately €461 billion) investment in new destinations. This has opened up $6 trillion (approximately €5.53 trillion) worth of investment opportunities in Saudi up until 2030.
In the context of the Saudi Green Initiative, sustainability is a key priority. How is this initiative being applied to new tourism projects? What are some of its recent sustainability achievements?
Saudi is the region’s green tourism destination powerhouse, pioneering a brand-new model of development that prioritises sustainability. By 2030, Saudi aims to preserve a total land area 11 times the size of Belgium and has committed to protecting 20% of its terrestrial, coastal, and marine environments. To date, 100% of Saudi’s iconic Giga projects have been developed with sustainable practices at the core of their designs—future-proofing our destinations and reinforcing our promise to protect the wonders of Arabia.
As an example, Red Sea Global aims to become a regenerative tourism project that goes beyond sustainability. Two of Red Sea Global’s flagship destinations, TRSP and AMAALA, will be powered by renewable energy, including the construction of the world’s largest battery storage facility. Red Sea Global wants to establish the region’s largest no-take Marine Protected Area (MPA), which should increase fish biomass in the region by 30%. Finally, 3.6 million plants and trees have been grown since June 2021 as part of the Project with plans to import 30 million more by 2026—making the largest landscape nursery in the Middle East.
Header photo: © Saudi Tourism Authority
© Saudi Tourism Authority
Saudi Arabia supports a Schengen-style visa for six Gulf countries
Saudi along with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) recently approved the launch a common tourist visa modelled on the existing Schengen visa. The common visa will be valid in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
This type of visa will only be available for leisure and business tourists. The visa will have a 30-day validity and be available online. It should be launched between the second half of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025.
