Saudi tourism spending grew 52% to $25.5bn in 2021

CAIRO: Overall tourism spending in Saudi Arabia, including residents and foreigners, rose 52 percent in 2021 to SR95.6 billion ($25.5 billion) from SR63.4 billion the previous year, data published by the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, revealed.

The numbers, however, paled compared to 2019 figures when the country bagged SR164.6 billion in overall tourism spending.

According to SAMA, domestic tourism in the Kingdom, which includes residents traveling on holiday, soared 86.6 percent to SR80.9 billion ($21.6 billion) in 2021 from SR43.35 billion in 2020.