Saudi Arabia's Major Transformation with Plans to Build 300,000 New Hotel Rooms for Tourism! Can the Desert Kingdom Become a Tourism Powerhouse?

Saudi Arabia has positioned tourism as the second engine of growth, aiming to welcome 150 million visitors annually by 2030. Following the lifting of tourism visa restrictions in 2019, the number of visitors is expected to reach 116 million by 2024, with investments in aviation and heritage also expanding. On social media, there is praise for the experiential value of "desert x luxury" and pilgrimage, while concerns about NEOM, the Red Sea coastline's ecosystem, and human rights remain prevalent. Moving forward, the key will be shifting from quantity to quality, focusing on capacity distribution, conservation of natural capital, and community involvement.