Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has tourist advantage and diversity as well as the economic infrastructure to make the travel and tourism sector a vital sector in supporting the economic growth. Travel and tourism sector has registered a growth rate of more than 10% including inbound tourism within the last five years.
Al-Tayyar Travel Group Vice president Mr. Ali Al-Tigani said that the inbound tourism has realized a growth of 11% within the last two years, travel and tourism sector has contributed to 7.2% of the gross domestic product of the Kingdom, i.e. about S.R. 103 milliard within the last year".
The Saudi government seeks to attract the investors and to find growth opportunities to support the sector and advance it, by creation of regional and international exhibitions which would activate this sector and introduce the Kingdom’s potentials. To be noted is that regional and international hospitality and hotel companies are racing to expand in the Kingdom in order to acquire a stake on the accelerating growth in the Kingdom’s tourist sector.
Mr. Al-Tigani added saying: "It is foreseeable of the travel and tourism sector to support employment market by the creation of 1.5 – 2.3 million jobs by 2030. The annual growth of the tourist flow to the Kingdom is 5%. This rate will rise annually by 2014 to 6.5% that because of the rise in the popularity of the Kingdom among the circles of religious and business tourists".
In another context it further point to the Saudi citizen’s maturity in selecting international and Arab destinations, meanly for travel or business, which contributes in stimulation of tourism, for example, pursuant to the figures announced by the Singaporean Tourist Authority the number of visitors from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia witnessed an increase of 7% to Singapore last year. Furthermore, the total number of passengers from the Middle East region up the end of June of this year increased to 103% exceeding the same period last year’s rate.
