Saudi Arabia is undergoing a fundamental shift in how it collects, analyses, and uses tourism data. With the creation of the Deputyship for Data and Decision Support and the release of a detailed OECD report, the Kingdom is positioning itself at the forefront of data-driven tourism management under Vision 2030.
From surveys to smart data
Traditionally, tourism statistics worldwide have relied on hotel records, border surveys, and household questionnaires. These methods, while useful, often lag behind real-time developments and fail to capture the full scope of traveller behaviour — such as day trips, stopovers, or secondary visits within a destination.
The drive to integrate new data sources in Saudi Arabia’s tourism statistics arises from the need for more accurate, timely, and comprehensive information to facilitate informed decision-making in the tourism sector. The data guide strategic planning, economic assessments, market research, and decisions related to infrastructure, marketing, and resource allocation, contributing to sustainable growth, attracting investors, optimising tourism resource management, and fostering overall success and resilience in the tourism sector.
Saudi Arabia’s new system broadens the toolkit by incorporating alternative data sources. These are non-traditional streams of information that provide faster, richer, and often more granular insights into how people travel.
They include:
- Mobile positioning data (MPD): anonymised signals from mobile networks that show where people travel, how long they stay, and how they move between locations. MPD is already used internationally to measure tourism flows during major events and high seasons.
- Point-of-sale and payment data: aggregated information from credit card and digital payment systems reveals visitor spending patterns across accommodation, food, shopping, and transport. This gives a far clearer picture of tourism’s true economic footprint.
- Online booking platforms: advance reservations for hotels, flights, and tours provide an early signal of demand, allowing more accurate forecasts of visitor arrivals and seasonality. Transport and mobility data: airline ticketing, ride-hailing services, and smart transport cards offer further evidence of how visitors circulate within the country.
- Geospatial and satellite imagery: remote sensing tools monitor urban growth near tourism hotspots, seasonal beach or park use, and even pressure on natural environments.
- Social media and digital footprints: posts, photos, and reviews can serve as real-time indicators of destination popularity and visitor sentiment.
For Saudi Arabia, the integration of these sources represents a significant leap forward. It allows authorities not only to track how many people arrive, but also to understand how they behave once inside the Kingdom — where they go, how long they stay, what they spend on, and which sites face the greatest pressure.
According to the OECD, the Deputyship has already brought together more than 50 government agencies and signed over 60 data-sharing agreements. Interactive dashboards are being developed to merge these streams into actionable intelligence for policymakers and private operators alike.
Key figures: tourism performance in 2024–2025
The impact of tourism on the Saudi economy is already clear — and expanding. In 2024, Saudi Arabia welcomed 115.9 million tourists, including 86.2 million domestic trips and 29.7 million international visitors. International visitor spending reached SAR 153.6 billion (USD 40.9 billion), a rise of nearly 14% compared with 2019. Total tourism revenues — both direct and indirect — contributed SAR 498 billion in 2024, equivalent to 12.45% of GDP, up from around 11.5% the previous year. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, international visitors spent SAR 49.4 billion (USD 13.2 billion), marking growth of roughly 10% year-on-year. These achievements underline the central role of tourism in Vision 2030, which set a target for the sector to contribute at least 10% of GDP. With current performance already surpassing this threshold, Saudi Arabia is now aiming even higher.
Why advanced data matters
The move to real-time and alternative data sources carries far-reaching implications. Authorities can respond more quickly to sudden changes in demand or congestion, ensuring smoother visitor experiences and better resource allocation. Planning decisions on infrastructure and investment can be grounded in detailed, up-to-date evidence of where growth is strongest and where services are lacking. Equally important is sustainability. With detailed monitoring of visitor flows and environmental pressures, Saudi Arabia can balance growth with conservation, ensuring its diverse ecosystems and cultural heritage remain protected. Aligning its measurement systems with international standards also improves global benchmarking, enhancing the Kingdom’s reputation as a competitive and well-managed destination.
For hotels, tour operators, and real estate stakeholders, this shift creates both opportunities and obligations. Businesses that embrace digital tools and contribute accurate booking or occupancy data will not only meet regulatory expectations but also benefit from sharper insights into demand trends.
Those who adapt quickly to signals from new datasets — adjusting pricing, staffing, or marketing in response to early indicators — will secure an edge. Service quality and customer satisfaction, now more visible through digital footprints and real-time monitoring, will become decisive factors in competitiveness. Investors, too, stand to gain: neighbourhoods and destinations identified as emerging visitor hubs through this new data framework may offer stronger long-term value for development, whether in hospitality, retail, or residential real estate.
Looking ahead, the OECD report describes Saudi Arabia as already at a mature stage in developing its tourism data ecosystem, but expansion continues. In the coming years, authorities are expected to roll out public dashboards, publish regional insights, and deepen collaboration with private-sector data providers. This is more than a technical upgrade. It is a strategic step to ensure Saudi tourism remains sustainable, competitive, and resilient. For professionals across the sector, it signals the start of a more transparent and accountable era — one in which agility, cultural awareness, and service quality are as measurable as visitor numbers themselves.
