Saudi Arabia leads Arab countries for most tourists in 2022

Friday, January 27, 2023

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has recorded more than 18 million international arrivals in the first nine months of 2022, higher than any other Arab country.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization said, in a statement, that Saudi Arabia attracted more than 18 million visitors in the first three quarters of 2022, followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 14.8 million tourists, and Morocco with 11 million tourists.

The statement said that, given these unprecedented numbers, that the thriving tourism sector in the Kingdom will be a major focus during the activities of the Arabian Travel Market 2023, which will be held at the Dubai World Trade Center from May 1 to 4, 2023.

As per media reports, the kingdom is targeting 100 million visitors annually by the end of this decade.

Tourism spending in Saudi Arabia also rose in 2022, reaching 7.2 billion dollars in the first half of 2022, according to figures issued by the country’s Ministry of Investment.

The ministry indicated that the rate of tourism spending in the Kingdom far exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

The Kingdom aims to attract investments worth 220 billion Saudi Riyals in the tourism sector by 2023, and 500 billion Saudi Riyals by 2030.

Here are the top 10 Arab countries for the most tourists in 2022:

Saudi Arabia: 18 million tourists

UAE: 14.8 million tourists

Morocco: 11 million tourists

Syria: 8.5 million tourists

Tunisia: 5.7 million tourists

Egypt: 5.2 million tourists

Bahrain: 4.3 million tourists

Jordan: 3.5 million tourists

Qatar: 2.9 million tourists

Sultanate of Oman: 2.3 million tourists

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