Saudi Arabia is driving travel and tourism growth across the Middle East, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council's (WTTC) 2025 economic impact report.

Saudi Arabia's travel and tourism GDP rose by 7.4 percent in 2025 to $178 billion, representing 46 percent of the Middle East's total tourism economy – making the kingdom the largest travel and tourism market in the region.

International visitor spending in Saudi Arabia grew by 8.2 percent, surpassing the global average of 3.2 percent.  Via the Ministry of Tourism (Saudi Arabia), domestic performance has also been strong.

The kingdom recorded 28.9 million domestic visitors in the first quarter of 2026, a 16 percent increase year-on-year, alongside SAR 34.7 billion ($9.2bn) in tourism spending.

Other markets across the Middle East are delivering strong results, too. For example, the UAE's travel and tourism sector reached $68.5bn in GDP in 2025, with international visitor spending of $56.9bn.

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