Riyadh - Sharikat Mubasher: The number of international tourist arrivals in Saudi Arabia soared by 156% in 2023 compared to 2019, surpassing the global recovery average of 88%, the UN’s World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Barometer showed.
The report stated that the Middle East was the only region to have achieved growth beyond pre-pandemic levels, attracting 122% more tourists in 2023 than in 2019.
The UNWTO’s figures showed that international tourism ended in 2023 at 88% of pre-pandemic levels with around 1.3 billion international arrivals.
“Preliminary estimates on the economic contribution of tourism, measured in tourism direct gross domestic product, point to $3.3 trillion in 2023, or 3% of global GDP,” as stated in the UNTWO’s report.
The barometer expected international tourism to recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2024 with initial estimates pointing to 2% growth above 2019 levels, subject to the pace of recovery in Asia and to the evolution of existing economic and geopolitical downside risks.
