Employment in Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector increased by 4 percent year-on-year in the last quarter of 2024, reflecting the Kingdom’s intensified efforts to expand the industry. The total workforce in tourism reached 966 531, according to new data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

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Among these employees, 242 073 were Saudi nationals, accounting for 25 percent, while foreign workers made up 75 percent with 724 458 individuals. This growth aligns with Saudi Arabia’s National Tourism Strategy, which aims to create 1.6 million jobs by 2030 and attract 150 million visitors annually, increasing tourism’s contribution to 10 percent of the gross domestic product.

In a recent announcement, the government revealed that starting in April 2026, 41 tourism roles, including hotel managers, travel agency directors, and tour guides, will be reserved for Saudi nationals. This plan aims to enhance local employment and reduce dependence on foreign labor.

GASTAT’s report indicated that male employees in tourism activities numbered 837 972, with a participation rate of 86.7 percent, while female employees totaled 128 559, representing 13.3 percent of the workforce in the sector during the fourth quarter of 2024.

The highest employment levels were observed in the Riyadh and Makkah regions, which together accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total tourism-related workforce. Specifically, Riyadh employed 320 617 individuals, while Makkah had 268 954. Notably, Riyadh had the largest share of Saudi nationals in the sector, totaling 9 825, or 29.9 percent of its local tourism workforce.

The hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia also continued to expand, with the number of licensed establishments rising to 4 425 by the end of 2024. This included 2 163 hotels and 2 262 serviced apartments and other accommodations.

Despite this growth in licensed capacity, hotel occupancy rates remained relatively stable at 56 percent, down from 60.2 percent a year earlier. Serviced apartments saw a slight increase in occupancy, rising to 55.9 percent from 55.4 percent in the previous year.

The average daily hotel room rate was reported at SR440 ($117.31) in the fourth quarter of 2024, a slight decrease from SR449 the previous year. Serviced apartment rates, however, experienced a significant rise of 25.1 percent to SR220, indicating growing demand and limited supply in that segment.

The average length of stay for hotel guests remained constant at approximately 3.6 nights, the same as in the corresponding period of 2023. In contrast, the average stay in serviced apartments and other hospitality facilities was around 2.1 nights, marking a 12.1 percent decline compared to the same quarter of the previous year.