Saudi Arabia’s licensed tourism hospitality facilities increased 22.7% year-on-year to 6,122 in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting continued growth in the Kingdom’s tourism sector, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
Serviced apartments and other hospitality facilities
accounted for the majority of establishments, totalling 3,159 or 51.6% of the
market, while hotels reached 2,963, representing 48.4%.
The number of tourism establishments with employees also
grew 9% annually to around 177,031, compared with 162,473 in Q1 2025.
Employment across tourism activities rose 6.5% to 1.05
million workers, including 250,094 Saudi nationals, who represented 23.9% of
the workforce.
Non-Saudis accounted for 797,219 employees, or 76.1%.
Hotel room occupancy reached 60.8% during the quarter, down
from 63% a year earlier. Meanwhile, occupancy at serviced apartments and other
hospitality facilities improved to 51.6% from 50.7%.
Average stays also increased, with hotel guests spending 4.2
nights on average, up 2% year-on-year, while stays in serviced apartments and
other facilities rose to 2.2 nights. The figures highlight Saudi Arabia’s
expanding hospitality capacity as the country continues efforts to strengthen
tourism under its economic diversification strategy. -TradeArabia News Service