Saudi Arabia boosts religious tourism
28-06-25
Saudi Arabia is transforming religious tourism into a central pillar of its ambitious Vision 2030 economic diversification plan. In 2025, around 1.67 million pilgrims performed the Hajj, with 1.51 million arriving from 171 countries — a clear reflection of the global nature of this spiritual experience. Most arrived by air, while only about 8% traveled by land or sea. Gender distribution was also balanced, with 878,000 men and 795,000 women participating. Only about 10% of the pilgrims were Saudi nationals.
Although the total number of Hajj participants decreased by 8.5% compared to the 1.83 million in 2024, it remains the largest religious gathering in the world. However, it is the Umrah — a pilgrimage that can be undertaken year-round — that is driving the most significant transformation. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, 6.5 million international pilgrims performed the Umrah, an 11% increase over the previous year.
Since launching Vision 2030 in 2016, Saudi Arabia has firmly embraced tourism — particularly religious tourism — as a key engine of economic growth. By the end of 2023, the country had already met its target of 100 million annual visitors, including 27 million international tourists. This success led to a new goal: reaching 150 million visitors by 2030, of which 70 million are expected to come from abroad. In 2023 alone, religious tourism contributed $28.3 billion to the economy, accounting for roughly 20% of the non-oil GDP and 7% of total GDP.