logo
Saudi Arabia tops global ranking in intl tourism revenues growth during Q1 2025

Saudi Arabia tops global ranking in intl tourism revenues growth during Q1 2025

Argaam5 days ago
Saudi Arabia has ranked first as the top tourist destination globally in terms of growth in international tourism revenues during the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same period in 2019, according to the UN Tourism Barometer Report published in May 2025 by the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia ranked third globally in terms of the growth in the number of international tourists during Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2019. It also ranked second in the Middle East for the same period.
The Kingdom recorded a 102% growth in the number of international tourists during Q1 2025 compared to the same period in 2019, far surpassing the global average growth rate of 3% and the Middle East's average growth of 44%, further strengthening its global and regional leadership in the tourism sector.
For his part, Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb stated on social networking platform 'X' that this achievement reflects Saudi Arabia's advancing position in the tourism sector, backed by its leadership.
This came thanks to working with a teamwork spirit to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, said the minister, expressing optimism for further growth and enhanced positioning for the Kingdom on the global tourism map.
According to data available with Argaam, the Ministry of Tourism revealed earlier that Saudi Arabia achieved a record surplus from travel in its balance of payments during Q1 2025, reaching nearly SAR 26.8 billion, driven by spending from incoming international visitors.
Spending by inbound visitors to Saudi Arabia during Q1 2025 reached SAR 49.4 billion, a growth of about 10% year-on-year.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

North Korea bars foreign tourists from new seaside resort
North Korea bars foreign tourists from new seaside resort

Arab News

time43 minutes ago

  • Arab News

North Korea bars foreign tourists from new seaside resort

SEOUL: North Korea has barred foreigners from a newly opened beach resort, the country's tourism administration said this week, just days after Russia's top diplomat visited the sprawling seaside resort on its east coast, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's pet project, opened to domestic visitors earlier this month with great fanfare in state-run 'North Korea's Waikiki' by South Korean media, the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone appears to be lined with high-rise hotels and waterparks, and can purportedly accommodate some 20,000 media previously said visits to Wonsan by Russian tour groups were expected in the coming following Lavrov's visit, the North's National Tourism Administration said 'foreign tourists are temporarily not being accepted' without giving further details, in a statement posted on an official website this showed a keen interest in developing North Korea's tourism industry during his early years in power, analysts have said, and the coastal resort area was a particular said ahead of the opening of the beach resort that the construction of the site would go down as 'one of the greatest successes this year' and that the North would build more large-scale tourist zones 'in the shortest time possible.'The North last year permitted Russian tourists to return for the first time since the pandemic and Western tour operators briefly returned in February this unification ministry, however, said that it expected international tourism to the new resort was 'likely to remain small in scale' given the limited capacity of available held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Wonsan last week where he offered Moscow his full and 'unconditional' support for its war in Ukraine, KCNA reportedly hailed the seaside project as a 'good tourist attraction,' adding it would become popular among both local and Russian visitors looking for new of Lavrov's recent visit, Russia announced that it would begin twice-a-week flights between Moscow and Pyongyang.

North Korea bans access to newly-opened beach resort after Lavrov visit
North Korea bans access to newly-opened beach resort after Lavrov visit

Al Arabiya

time2 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

North Korea bans access to newly-opened beach resort after Lavrov visit

North Korea has suspended foreigners' access to a newly opened beach resort on its east coast, just days after Russia's top diplomat visited the area and vowed to help increase tourist flows to the isolated country. North Korea's National Tourism Administration said the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area that began operations this month is temporarily not accepting foreign guests, without elaborating. The beach resort is one of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's pet projects. Kim has a private mansion on the coast, and during construction of the facilities he often visited the site to oversee progress on a project that features about 7,000 guest rooms in luxury hotels and private villas, an outdoor waterpark and an airport, according to state media. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited the resort town during his recent North Korea trip in which he met with Kim on the leader's yacht. Lavrov said at a meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Wonsan that Russia will 'do everything' to expand the flow of Russian tourists to North Korea. Tourism is a key revenue source for the sanctions-hit Kim regime but the country has been allowing only a trickle of inbound tourists from Russia since it began easing its pandemic border restrictions. North Korean authorities keep close tabs on overseas visitors, who are usually required to stay at lodgings designated for use by foreigners and restricted in their movements in the country. President Donald Trump also floated a coastal real estate development plan in exchange for a North Korean pledge to denuclearize during his first summit with Kim in 2018. 'They have great beaches,' Trump said at a news conference at that time. 'You see that whenever they're exploding their cannons into the ocean, right? I said, 'Boy, look at that view. Wouldn't that make a great condo?'' he added. Trump's real estate diplomacy with Kim produced few results, however. The two leaders met in person three times, but the discussions didn't persuade Kim to slow the development of his nuclear weapons program. North Korea has since rebuffed the idea of sitting down with the US again and has emerged as a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, supporting his war on Ukraine. It's not immediately clear why North Korea decided to restrict foreigners' access to the resort area, but some analysts say there's more work to be done on the project. 'The resort is undoubtedly open, but it's not quite finished yet,' the 38 North program at the Stimson Center said, citing satellite imagery. 'One of the largest buildings at the resort, a hotel near the Kalmaegi Hotel, does not appear to be in use. There is little activity nearby and the rooftop pool has yet to be filled with water.' Lavrov's latest visit took place less than a month after Pyongyang agreed at a June meeting between Kim and Sergei Shoigu to send an additional 6,000 military workers to the Kursk region. Shoigu is Putin's top security aide and a former Russian defense minister.

China economy still facing ‘very severe, complex situation': Commerce minister
China economy still facing ‘very severe, complex situation': Commerce minister

Al Arabiya

time3 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

China economy still facing ‘very severe, complex situation': Commerce minister

China's economy is still facing a 'very severe and complex situation,' its minister of commerce said Friday, suggesting the government would take action to counter challenges ahead. Growth came in at 5.2 percent in the second quarter, official data showed Tuesday, but analysts have warned that more work is needed to avoid a slump in the second half of the year. The knock-on effects of trade turmoil abroad threaten Beijing's exports just as it becomes more reliant on them to stimulate economic activity, as domestic consumption remains stubbornly sluggish. 'We are still facing a very severe and complex situation. Global changes are unstable and uncertain. Some of our policies will provide some new responses according to the times and circumstances,' Wang Wentao told journalists at a news briefing. 'Our toolbox is plentiful, and we will be fully prepared.' Asked specifically about China's reliance on exports, Wang suggested the government was preparing policies to 'further stimulate the momentum of our consumption development.' 'China's economy is improving, and the long-term fundamentals have not changed, the consumption market's characteristics of great potential, strong resilience and vitality have not changed,' he said. 'We are also promoting new forms of consumption... for example Pop Mart, these kinds of new trends, new fashions and styles... the Labubu phenomenon has swept the world.' Beijing-based toymaker Pop Mart's Labubu monster dolls have become a must-have item internationally, adorning the handbags of celebrities such as Rihanna and Cher.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store