Saudi Arabia's tourism minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb said he welcomed the arrival of more tourists from China, highlighting it as a major market for Saudi Arabia which is aiming to build a thriving tourism economy in line with its ambitious Saudi Vision 2030.
In an interview on Monday with China Global Television Network (CGTN) at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Al-Khateeb discussed the country's hopes for a robust tourism sector that will grow its contribution to national GDP to 10 percent by 2030.
"For us in Saudi Arabia, travel and tourism is a main pillar of our 2030 vision where we opened up this sector back in 2019 for people to come and explore the beauty and the culture, and the welcoming nation of Saudi Arabia and to further diversify our economy and make it more resilient. Therefore, tourism for us in Saudi Arabia is very, very important. We are investing heavily in the sector to build new destinations and therefore, for us in Saudi Arabia, travelers and tourism is very, very important, and we want to take it from about five percent of our economy to 10 percent by 2030, which is the global average," he said.
Al-Khateeb said that Saudi Arabia has improved its tourism offering to attract more visitors from China, especially young people.
"They (Chinese) are coming to explore our Arabian hospitality because they love it. We are a very welcoming nation. They want to explore also the culture and the history in Saudi Arabia, and many other civilizations passed and left behind their history and heritage, and also to enjoy the mountains in the south and enjoy our culture. Therefore, for us, China is a very important market. We are building and enriching our content for the future travelers, especially the younger generation, to come and enjoy the vast and attractive offerings by the country," he said.
Saudi minister welcomes Chinese visitors as Saudi Arabia aims to boost tourism
