#Haim Katz

Saudi Arabia expects 70 million tourists annually

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb, said in an interview that the kingdom has increased its previous target of 50 million visitors. He said this year's figure will be between 25 and 30 million. He said the target of 70 million tourists for 2030 was "very reasonable," considering investments to create more resorts and a new airline to bring people to the country, Bloomberg reported. Saudi Arabia, which was largely closed to tourists except Muslim pilgrims until 2019, is spending huge sums of money building hotels and resorts along the Red Sea coast. It is also developing historical sites such as the Al Ula desert region and Diriyah, the ancestral home of the Saudi ruling family. He wants to create an alternative to oil The effort to reach more holidaymakers is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's goal to diversify the $1.1 trillion oil-dependent economy. Salman wants tourism to account for 10 percent of gross domestic product by 2030 and help earn foreign exchange from sources other than oil exports. Al Khateeb said that the government also increased the total annual tourist travel target set for 2030 (a figure that includes domestic travelers) from 100 million to 150 million. High-level visit from Israel Saudi Arabia hosted an event to mark the United Nations World Tourism Day on Wednesday. The event, attended by Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz, was the highest-level official visit by an Israeli official to the kingdom. The move was another sign of warming ties between the two countries, which are negotiating a deal that would see them establish formal diplomatic ties with the United States. Al Khateeb nevertheless said that the reason the Israeli minister was in Riyadh was because the UN had "invited all member states". Al Khateeb said, "Whether we have diplomatic relations or not, that's why they came."