Saudi tourism spending grew 52% to $25.5bn in 2021

Saudi tourism spending grew 52% to $25.5bn in 2021

CAIRO: Overall tourism spending in Saudi Arabia, including residents and foreigners, rose 52 percent in 2021 to SR95.6 billion ($25.5 billion) from SR63.4 billion the previous year, data published by the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, revealed. The numbers, however, paled compared to 2019 figures when the country bagged SR164.6 billion in overall tourism spending. According to SAMA, domestic tourism in the Kingdom, which includes residents traveling on holiday, soared 86.6 percent to SR80.9 billion ($21.6 billion) in 2021 from SR43.35 billion in 2020. Holidays and shopping alone contributed 58.2 percent of domestic tourism, totaling SR47.1 billion. Visits to relatives and friends followed at SR19.1 billion, holding 23.6 percent of domestic expenditure, whereas money spent on religious purposes came in third at SR8.8 billion, with a 10.9 percent share. The average duration of stay by Saudi residents domestically stood at approximately six days, according to data compiled by Arab News. On the other hand, inbound tourism spending dropped to SR14.7 billion in 2021 from SR20.1 billion in 2020. Foreign tourism expenditure in the country peaked at SR103.4 billion in 2019 and decreased by 80.1 percent and 26.8 percent in the following years. The average duration of nonresidents’ trips