According to recent data released by MAS, figures forecast that there will be a 43% increase in the number of inbound tourist arrivals to Saudi Arabia by 2020. 
Data revealed that the number of international trips made to Saudi Arabia is estimated to increase from 18 million in 2015 to 25.8 million in 2020.
Grant Salter, Head of Travel, Hospitality and Leisure Advisory – Middle East at Deloitte presented the forecasts as part of a talk on “Market performance, trends and projects in Saudi Arabia” at the 2nd annual Vision Conference, Saudi Arabia.
Salter said: “The Kingdom already sees strong tourism figures and hotel occupancy rates have historically been relatively high. There are more than 49,000 new hotel rooms under construction or in final planning across the country to meet the demands of this significant increase in tourists. These figures were prepared before the government’s Vision 2030 announcement in which tourism is planned to play a more meaningful role in the Saudi economy. We believe that with this vision, and improvements to the hospitality and leisure offering throughout the Kingdom – there is a good chance that the projected increases will be met, if not exceeded.”
