Filenews 27 August 2025 -by Angelos Angelodimou
One of the largest tourist markets in the Middle East is targeted by the competent bodies of our country, opening a channel of communication with the heads of the tourism sector of Saudi Arabia. Tourism has skyrocketed in recent years and is an emerging market, from which everyone wants to secure a share of the pie of arrivals and revenues.
Yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kkostas Koumis, had a teleconference with the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Princess Haifa Al Saud, in the framework of which it was agreed to sign a memorandum of cooperation in the tourism sector. In the context of the teleconference, the Deputy Minister proposed the establishment of a technical committee consisting of officials from both sides, whose responsibility will be the continuous monitoring and implementation of the provisions of the Memorandum of Cooperation. The air connection between the two countries was also a topic of extensive discussion, a chapter on which will be held in the coming weeks, and additional teleconferences at a technocratic level with the main aim of further improving it. It is noted that this summer the two countries are connected to flights operated by the airline Saudia.
It is noted that Saudi Arabia has set itself the goal of its rapid tourism development. Among the topics being promoted or started to be implemented are the creation of a new airline, which bears the name Riyadh Air, the large vocational tourism education school presented in 2023 as the largest in the world, the Neom Project, a completely new city and region being built focused on sustainability, and more.
Notably, Saudi Arabia's tourism sector is booming in 2025, with the kingdom topping the global growth charts for international tourist receipts and arrivals in the first quarter of 2025 compared to 2019 levels. This momentum is due to improvements in infrastructure, easier visa procedures and events such as the "Year of Crafts". The country is on track to exceed its Vision 2030 goals and is attracting significant investment, turning it into a major global tourism destination with a record contribution from the Travel and Tourism sector to the national economy, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
Saudi Arabia saw a 102% increase in international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2019, far exceeding global and Middle Eastern averages. In particular, according to the latest data, Saudi Arabia had revenues of $13.16 billion (SR49.4 billion) from international tourism in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 9.7% compared to the same period in 2024. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) predicts that the sector will contribute a total of SR447.2 billion to the economy in 2025, contributing over 10% of the country's GDP.
