A record 68 new hotels spanning some 29,033 hotel rooms will open across Saudi Arabia this year, according to the Saudi Arabia Hotel Construction Overview report released by TOPHOTELPROJECTS ahead of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2017.

The report identified Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar and Makkah as the key cities for hospitality development.

New hotels forecast to open this year include the Abraj Kudai Towers, which will become the world’s biggest hotel with 10,000 rooms when it opens in the fourth quarter of 2017.

“The hospitality landscape in Saudi Arabia is developing at pace, and this is a particularly exciting year,” said John Suzara, event manager of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2017, taking place in Jeddah in April.

“The largest hotel in the world – Abraj Kudai – is forecast to open in Makkah, while new brands are entering the market, harnessing the kingdom’s potential at a time of major growth for its tourism, leisure and hospitality industries in the wake of the launch of Saudi Arabia’s National Vision 2030,” he added.

Nobu Hospitality and Rocco Forte Hotels are among international brands that will enter the Saudi Arabian market for the first time this year, the report said.

Christian Renz, vice president sales at Rocco Forte Hotels, said: “It was important for us to have representation in the Middle East, as we have such a large client base coming from this region, particularly from Saudi Arabia.

“Saudi Arabia has a lot to offer and I hope that the country will further open itself for international tourism,” added Renz.