The government positioned tourism as a priority sector in Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s long-term development roadmap, aimed at driving economic diversification and reducing the national reliance on fossil fuel revenue. Cross-government support for the National Tourism Strategy (NTS) and associated legislation has helped accelerate sectoral expansion. Meanwhile, the promotion of Saudi Arabia to a diverse segment of people, through the development of religious, resort and sports tourism, among other sectors, has helped rapidly drive up annual visitor numbers in recent years, with a target of 150m total visitors per year by 2030.
The year 2022 saw the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) launch 10 regulations to develop the sector in line with Vision 2030. Such oversight helps government agencies to manage all areas of the tourism sector, as well as provide guidance to service providers. The establishment of the Tourism Development Fund (TDF) in 2020 demonstrated the government’s commitment to investing in sectoral expansion, particularly through the development of infrastructure. This includes the construction of new resorts and large-scale sports facilities, as well as logistical improvements to enhance connectivity, such as new airports and roads.
Several projects emerged out of Vision 2030, including Amaala, The Red Sea and Qiddiya. These are supported by financing from the TDF and have attracted the attention of several private sector investors, leading to the creation of multiple public-private partnerships in the tourism industry. This has been supported by the government’s openness to private involvement to grow the Kingdom’s economy and enhance government finances via the non-oil sector.
Technology
Digitalisation has been a major driver of growth in the tourism sector, enhancing access for visitors and being used to promote various destinations. The creation of the Digital Tourism Strategy helped align the digital aims for the sector with the overarching national objectives outlined in Vision 2030 for a stronger digital economy. Meanwhile, the launch of an e-visa in 2019, with travellers from 66 countries eligible as of early 2026 helps to make Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector more competitive in the MENA region.
Key Projects
Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer that emerged out of Vision 2030, is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund., As of early 2026 RSG was developing two major resort destinations – The Red Sea and Amaala. The Red Sea is a luxury and regenerative tourism destination on Saudi Arabia’s west coast. It boasts several resorts as well as a golf course and an international airport. The developer aims to build eight resorts at Amaala, RSG’s luxury tourism resort on the Red Sea coast in north-western Saudi Arabia, which covers 4000 sq km. RSG attracted around 33,589 inbound visitors to The Red Sea in 2025 and aims to receive 300,000 total visitors by 2026. RSG is an example of how public investment in tourism infrastructure has helped to attract high levels of private investment to the sector, which has resulted in several global hotel brands announcing hotel and resort projects in RSG destinations. The government is investing heavily in attracting tourists to the Saudi capital of Riyadh through investment in infrastructure in and around the city. Improvements to Diriyah, a historic city in the north-western outskirts of the capital, have helped enhance the cultural offerings in the region. The launch of Qiddiya in 2018, a planned entertainment and tourism mega-project on the outskirts of Riyadh, is also expected to attract more visitors to the capital.
Public investment in a wide range of tourism offerings, through the development of mega-projects, has rapidly enhanced Saudi Arabia’s reputation as a destination in the MENA region. Public spending on tourism projects has helped to attract greater private funding to the sector, which will in turn help the government achieve its expansion plans for key tourism destinations and will help support broader economic diversification.
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