SAUDI EXPATRIATES

The minister highlighted Saudi Arabia's dedication to growing its tourist industry, which he said is responsible for 10% of the world's Economy and 3% of Saudi Arabia's GDP at now.

- Saudi Arabia was ranked eleventh in the world in terms of tourist numbers in the year 2023, according to Al-Khateeb, with 109 million visitors, 27 million of them were international tourists.

- During a press conference on Wednesday, Al-Khateeb announced that Saudi Arabia's tourism has grown at a rate of 153% compared to the year 2019, positioning the country among the G20 nations with the fastest-growing tourists.

- Plans are in the works to raise the tourism sector's contribution to the local economy from its present 5% to 10%, or 600 to 700 billion Saudi Riyals, according to the minister. Trending : Saudi Arabia revises its new rules on residential constructions

"Saudi Arabia is like a continent, featuring diverse historical and tourist sites," Al-Khateeb remarked during the press conference held at the historic Abu Sarrah palaces to explain the features of the Saudi Summer Season 2024. We welcome tourists who are interested in the Kingdom for reasons other than religion or business.

- In the first half of the year 2024, he said, tourism brought in five percent of the country's GDP. Although there is still a long way to go, he lauded the Kingdom's amazing human resources and said that the youth of today will be the ones to teach future visitors about the local culture.

- According to Al-Khateeb, one of the reasons the tourist industry is doing so well is because of the cooperation between important groups. Read : New retirement age in Saudi Arabia

-  "We place our bets on a great people, Saudis have proven their excellence on all fronts." A total of 1,500 people have taken on leadership roles in the Saudi tourist industry, and the government has increased salaries to 6,000 riyals and offered 100,000 training courses in an effort to empower Saudis in the field, he added.