Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector achieved a notable milestone in the first half of 2025, registering 60.9 million combined domestic and international visitor trips, with total spending in the period exceeding SAR 161.4 billion (approximately US $43 billion).

Data released by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Tourism show that inbound tourists stayed an average of 6.7 nights, while domestic travellers recorded an average stay of 18.6 nights.

Leisure, shopping and sports trips comprised the largest segment of travel motivations, followed by religious visits and family trips.

The two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah remained the leading destinations for inbound tourism, while Riyadh and the Eastern Province dominated the domestic tourism market.

Among overseas markets, Egypt, Pakistan and Kuwait were the top three source countries for inbound visitors, followed by India and Indonesia.

Accommodation patterns showed that hotels accounted for 43 per cent of total stays, with furnished apartments and private residences making up the remainder.

The strong performance comes as part of Saudi Arabia’s broader Vision 2030 initiative to diversify the economy, expand luxury and leisure tourism, and improve infrastructure and visa-access frameworks.

Industry analysts view the increase in visitor numbers and spending as evidence that the Kingdom is gaining traction as a global travel destination.

At the same time, the data underline the importance of sustaining growth by enhancing hospitality quality, regional access and seasonal offerings to maintain momentum through the second half of the year.