The Riyadh region welcomed 15.1 million local and international tourists by the close of the third quarter of Saudi Arabia, reflecting the increasing popularity of the Kingdom on the global tourism map.
In an X (formerly known as Twitter) post, the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia reported that the total tourist expenditure in the region had hit around SR33 billion ($8.8 billion) over the period, and this is an increase of 18 percent year-on-year increase.
Diversification of the economy by strengthening the tourism sector is one of the pillars of the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 agenda, as the Kingdom aims at decreasing its dependence on crude revenues.
Saudi Arabia is set to become the destination for 150 million visitors by the end of the decade as part of the National Tourism Strategy.
In a post, the Ministry of Tourism said that “The Riyadh region recorded growth in its tourism indicators; the capital witnessed a significant increase in the number of visitors and a rise in the volume of tourism spending during the third quarter of 2025.”
The ministry further indicated that tourist rooms in the Riyadh region increased by 34 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025 to 50,000.
The ministry says that the record of registered tour guides in the Riyadh region increased by 44 percent to reach 673 in the third quarter, as compared with the same period last year.
In early this month, the Deputy Minister of Tourism in Saudi Arabia, Princess Haifa bint Mohammed, announced domestic tourism expenditure in the Kingdom had already topped SR105 billion by the third quarter of 2025, equivalent to 18 percent year-on-year growth.
In her speech at the Budget Forum 2026, Princess Haifa noted that the tourism industry is still one of the most promising drivers of diversification of national economies.
The statistics released by the Saudi Central Bank, also referred to as SAMA, revealed in April that inbound tourism spending in the Kingdom has soared to an all-time high of SR153.61 billion in 2024, with an annual growth of 13.82 percent.
At the Development Finance Conference Momentum 2025 earlier this month, the Tourism Development Fund also signed six agreements and a memorandum of understanding with public and private sector entities, reinforcing partnerships that will have a cumulative impact valuing over SR4 billion.
The fund is a key player in promoting growth finance of development and sector growth as a national facilitator, promoting business growth, and expanding the tourism investment base.
