‘Kingdom is a top tourist destination’

Saudi Arabia is a top tourist destination and open to receiving foreigners, which is evident from the fact that 18 million people from various countries visited the Kingdom last year, Prince Sultan bin Salman has said.

The president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) made the statement during the World Travel and Tourism Council conference in Dallas on Thursday.
The Kingdom is among the countries that receive visitors of different nationalities, he said. “Saudi Arabia’s population, according to latest statistics, is 31 million people, including 11 million expatriates. The number of flights of short trips to the Kingdom exceeded 18 million last year. These figures show that the Kingdom is not a closed country,” he said. 
Prince Sultan said the Kingdom is one of the most important tourism markets as many countries are interested in attracting Saudi tourists. European countries and the US know that Saudi tourists are important to revive their tourism sector, he said. 
“Our top priority is to persuade Saudi tourists to spend a part of their holiday inside the Kingdom. Therefore, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage implemented several projects to develop the domestic tourism sector on the lines of foreign destinations,” he said 
“The commission, created by the Saudi government over 15 years ago, plays a leading role in integrating public and private sectors through partnerships. The commission has focused on enabling its partners — public and private sectors — to develop the tourism sector,” he added.