*Data from the tables were not found in the website.
Saudi Arabia is currently the second biggest tourist destination in the Middle East; in 2017 it has
attracted over 16 million visitors. However, most of the visitors were largely involved in the religious
pilgrimages. Elements of Vision 2030 focuses on diversifying the economy by enabling the leisure
tourism sector which some refer to it as "white oil". According to the World Travel and Tourism
Council which conducted research in 2018, Travel and tourism in Saudi Arabia has added approx. 9%
to the Kingdom’s total economy which is worth $65 Billion.
The Red Sea Project, a luxury destination built around one of the last undiscovered natural wonders
of the world, is one of the initiatives supported by the Public Investment Fund. It is the most
ambitious and exciting tourist and hospitality project in the world.
The project will set new benchmarks in regenerative tourism and sustainable development, resulting
in one-of-a-kind travel experiences and priceless memories. It is situated over 28,000 km2 of pristine
lands and waterways and comprises a large archipelago of more than 90 islands. Supporting
infrastructure places a strong emphasis on renewable energy sources and water conservation and
reuse with sustainability at its center.
The tourism sector is expected to be highly competitive as Saudi Arabia and UAE; The two nations
are also becoming more competitive as they work together to develop post-oil economies. Tourism
is one of the most immediately competitive industries, especially in the non-Hajj sector where
travelers with medium to high incomes are looking for beaches, resorts, and Arabian adventure.
Although Saudi Arabia is now far behind Dubai, the center of the UAE's tourism industry, Saudi
Arabia may eventually have a chance to catch up and even usurp Dubai as the world's leading travel
destination due to the nature of both Dubai's brand and tourism in general.
People are becoming more and more concerned with travel dangers and safety in recent years. A
quantitative evaluation of travel security is called risk perception in tourism. Tourists' perceptions of
destination risk have a direct impact on their propensity to buy. Tourists are particularly sensitive to
travel dangers, as evidenced by the asymmetry between the objective existence of tourist safety
information and the subjective perception of tourists. Because dangers associated with tourism are
inevitable, visitors must have some level of destination-specific knowledge.