Bahraini travellers account for almost 40% of 8.6 million GCC visitors to Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed 8.6 million visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in 2023, with Bahrain nationals making up 3.4 million of the total. The Ministry of Tourism of KSA revealed 2.3 million travellers from Kuwait also visited last year, followed by 1.3 million from UAE and 1.09 million from Qatar.

The report also noted that 455000 tourists from Oman visited the kingdom last year.

KSA is focussed on strengthening its tourism sector as part of its economic divergence policy that is focussing on enriching other sectors other than its crude oil and energy industry. The National Tourism Strategy aims to attract 150 million visitors by 2030 and increase the sector’s contribution to the GDP from 6 to 10 percent overall.

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb in his statement said, “The 2023 data reveal that our tourism sector is experiencing remarkable growth and resilience. The data in the report reflect the success of tourism policies but also demonstrate the vibrant economic activity driven by this sector.”

Tourism spending by GCC travellers reached SR 15 billion ($4 billion) in 2023. KSA welcomed a total of 109 million with inbound tourists rising by 64.8 percent to 27.4 million and outbound tourists by 5.2 percent to 81.9 million. 

A total of SR 141.2 billion was spent on inbound tourism by travellers and SR 114.4 billion by outbound travellers. It has helped local business, from hospitality to retail and has contributed to the nation’s economy.

7.9 million tourists from the Asia and Pacific, Pakistan leading the way with 2.47 million visitors while the Middle East accounted for 5.6 million visitors in total with Jordan and Egypt at 1.12 and 2.58 million respectively.

This reflects KSA’s thriving tourism industry as the Kingdom enhances its infrastructure and develops attractions, increasing its chances to be a global hotspot for tourists worldwide.