Skift Take
Saudi Arabia has only been courting international visitors for a few years, but under Al Khateeb, it’s become one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism sectors.
Key Points
Summary
Ahmed Al Khateeb, appointed as Saudi Arabia's first-ever minister of tourism in February 2020, has significantly transformed the country's tourism sector despite the onset of the global pandemic. Initially focused on religious travel, Saudi Arabia has seen a remarkable increase in international tourists, with spending reaching $37.6 billion in 2023. Al Khateeb aims to fulfill the crown prince's '2030 Vision,' which includes launching Riyadh Air and achieving 150 million visitors, contributing 10% to GDP and creating 1.6 million jobs by the end of the decade.
Power is not just about who holds the top job but who shapes the landscape, drives innovation, and sets the agenda for what comes next. With that in mind, we proudly present Skift’s Power Rankings — our list of the most powerful leaders in travel.
It’s February 2020 and Ahmed Al Khateeb was just been named the first-ever minister of tourism for Saudi Arabia. He didn’t know it yet, but there was a global pandemic just weeks away. It was horrible timing, but Al Khateeb has nevertheless created one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism sectors.
When Al Khateeb took on the role, Saudi Arabia was still relying heavily on its religious travel segment – where millions of pilgrims flock each year to Makkah and Medinah. By 2023, Saudi had more international tourists than Portugal at 27.4 million and spending by international tourists had leapt 40% since 2019 to $37.6 billion.
In the first six months of this year, total tourist spending has already topped $38 billion, and a combined 60 million domestic and international tourists have explored the country.
He was originally a finance man, establishing private banking at Riyadh Bank before going on to create his own institutions in Saudi, such as the Jadwa Investment Company, and then becoming an advisor for Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Now, he needs to take the crown prince’s “2030 Vision” and turn it into a reality. Before the end of the decade, Saudi Arabia is expecting to have its Emirates-like Riyadh Air up and running; have tourism make up 10% of GDP with 150 million visitors, 70 million of them international; and have the sector account for 1.6 million jobs in the country.
In December 2020, soon after becoming minister, Al Khateeb reflected on the task in front of him: “Our target is indeed ambitious. However, we have everything we need to achieve our target.”
Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch
Tags: saudi arabia, saudi tourism