The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the global body that represents the private sector of the travel and tourism industry, has announced a partnership with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage to make Saudi Arabia a top five inbound destination, with 100 million international and domestic visits, by 2030.

The strategic partnership will harness the power and expertise of WTTC’s global membership, world class events and 30 years’ experience in research and strategic policy work to support Saudi Arabia’s ambitious goals and Vision 2030 plan.

Speaking in Riyadh at the launch of Saudi’s new tourism visa, Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of WTTC said: “I congratulate Saudi Arabia on its decision to open the country to tourists from across the world and look forward to working together to make Saudi Arabia a must visit destination the world over. The government has recognised the enormous opportunities tourism can bring to the country and I am delighted to see the changes that the destination is making to drive tourism, such as e-visa on arrival for 49 countries, investment in mega projects and infrastructure development.”

According to WTTC’s annual economic impact research data, tourism directly accounted for 3% of the country’s GDP and supported 0.6 million jobs (5% of employment) in 2018. Saudi, with a thriving religious tourism sector, is already the largest tourism economy in the Middle East.