UNWTO applauds Saudi Arabia: 100 million tourist milestone celebration

Friday, December 1, 2023

The achievement stems from robust initiatives to advance Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector, with close collaboration between UNWTO and the Saudi Ministry of Tourism on key projects. In 2021, UNWTO established its Regional Office for the Middle East in Riyadh, positioning it as a global hub for tourism innovation, education, and rural development.

The Kingdom’s announcement of welcoming its 100 millionth tourist, encompassing both international and domestic arrivals, underscores the Ministry’s dedication to data collection—a shared priority with UNWTO. Consequently, Saudi Arabia’s tourism statistics system is now globally recognized for its comprehensiveness and timeliness, serving as a pivotal tool in decision-making processes.

Acknowledging Saudi Arabia’s commitment, the Kingdom has represented the Middle East in the UNWTO Committee on Statistics for four consecutive sessions. Additionally, Saudi Arabia stood as the sole Middle Eastern representative in the development of the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST), spearheaded by the Expert Group on MST.

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