Riyadh remains at the center of Saudi Arabia’s tourism transformation, backed by major investments in hospitality and infrastructure
The hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia continues to demonstrate resilience despite the regional conflict, which affected international travel flows across parts of the Middle East, Knight Frank said in a report.
The Kingdom remains firmly on track to achieve its long-term tourism ambitions, backed by strong domestic tourism demand, growing religious tourism, and plans to develop over 105,000 hotel rooms.
Saudi Arabia’s current hotel inventory stands at 176,260 rooms, with 35% classified as luxury, upper-upscale, and upscale properties.
Upon completion of the current development pipeline, the Kingdom’s hotel inventory is expected to exceed 281,500 rooms by 2030.
The tourism industry continues to play a pivotal role in supporting economic growth. Travel and tourism contributed approximately $178 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP in 2025, accounting for nearly 46% of the Middle East’s total tourism economy. Tourism GDP also expanded by 7.4% during the year, surpassing the regional average growth rate of 5.3% and the global average of 4.1%.
Riyadh remains at the center of Saudi Arabia’s tourism transformation, backed by major investments in hospitality and infrastructure
The hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia continues to demonstrate resilience despite the regional conflict, which affected international travel flows across parts of the Middle East, Knight Frank said in a report.
The Kingdom remains firmly on track to achieve its long-term tourism ambitions, backed by strong domestic tourism demand, growing religious tourism, and plans to develop over 105,000 hotel rooms.
Saudi Arabia’s current hotel inventory stands at 176,260 rooms, with 35% classified as luxury, upper-upscale, and upscale properties.
Upon completion of the current development pipeline, the Kingdom’s hotel inventory is expected to exceed 281,500 rooms by 2030.
The tourism industry continues to play a pivotal role in supporting economic growth. Travel and tourism contributed approximately $178 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP in 2025, accounting for nearly 46% of the Middle East’s total tourism economy. Tourism GDP also expanded by 7.4% during the year, surpassing the regional average growth rate of 5.3% and the global average of 4.1%.
