Saudi Arabia plans to add 315,000 hotels rooms by 2030
The Kingdom’s hospitality scene has sky high ambitions ahead of Vision 2030…
Saudi Arabia is set to add a whopping 315,000 hotel rooms by 2030, as the Kingdom works towards mass expansion of its tourism offering.
That is according to research from global property consultancy Knight Frank, who suggests that the number of hotel rooms in Saudi Arabia will eclipse Dubai’s modest 140,000 rooms in the next seven years.
The incredible pipeline of gigaprojects under development across Saudi Arabia – from the crystalline waters of The Red Sea to UNESCO-listed Diriyah – all come with long lists of exciting hotel openings. In the Red Sea alone, some 50 resorts are expected to add 8,000 hotel rooms, while Diriyah’s portfolio of 32 hotels will include industry-leading names like Aman, Four Seasons and Raffles.
As the Kingdom works towards realising the ambitious goals of Vision 2030, the development of the hospitality sector is a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s plan to diversify its economy.
But as well as attracting international tourists – it is now easier than ever to get your Saudi tourism visa – domestic tourism is key to the future success of the Kingdom’s tourism sector. “The sector is already alive and thriving, with 65 per cent of Saudis already traveling within the Kingdom between one- and three- times a month,” explains Faisal Durrani, head of Middle East research at Knight Frank.
“With a total development cost of US$ 37.8 billion for all the hotel rooms planned in the Kingdom, according to our estimates and Giga projects like NEOM leading the supply pipeline, Saudi Arabia is on the cusp of becoming one of the world’s major tourist markets,” added Turab Saleem, Head of Hospitality, KSA. “The key to achieving this goal lies in catering to the diverse accommodation needs of the domestic tourists including the younger generation.”