Tourism minister: Saudi Arabia to be among top 10 tourist destinations in world

Tourism minister: Saudi Arabia to be among top 10 tourist destinations in world

RIYADH — Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said that Saudi Arabia will become one of the top 10 tourist destinations in the world in the future. He said that a total of 65 million domestic tourist visits were recorded last year, and that contributed to a record spending of SR80 billion.

The minister said this while addressing a dialogue session titled “The impact of Vision 2030 initiatives on Saudi cities,” here on Sunday. “We are working on tourism products that we will launch soon in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Tourism has drawn up strategic plans for the development of tourism in the Kingdom, as it worked on a comprehensive survey during which it made optimal use of tourist sites, including the Red Sea Project, which extends over an area of 1,700 km,” he said.

The minister revealed that the Kingdom aims to attract 100 million visitors by the year 2030, of whom 50 percent will be hosted by the capital city of Riyadh. “The Tourism Development Fund is ready to finance up to 50 percent of the project value of tourism projects, and the banks will support part of it as well. The ministry focused on developing strategic and governance plans,