Tourist flow from Russia to Saudi Arabia has doubled

Russian tourists are becoming increasingly interested in Saudi Arabia: in 2023, the flow there has doubled. The country, which recently opened to tourism, is promoting resorts on the Red Sea and could eventually become a competitor to the UAE and Egypt. Tourists in a cave in Al-Agra Mountain near the city of Al-Hasa in Saudi Arabia.

In 2023, Russian tourists made 106 thousand trips to Saudi Arabia - twice as much as the year before. DIRECTOR of the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority Fahd Hamidaddin told RBC about this . In 2022, the number of such trips was 55 thousand.

Saudi Arabia is visited by both Russians traveling for religious purposes - pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina, and those traveling for recreational purposes - the influx of these tourists has especially increased in 2023, says Hamidaddin.

In general, Saudi Arabia was visited by 106.2 million foreign tourists at the end of 2023 (12% more than in 2022). According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in 2023 the kingdom became the fastest growing tourist arrivals among the G20 countries. The kingdom achieved this result seven years ahead of schedule.

How Saudi Arabia is developing resorts

Until recently, Saudi Arabia was considered one of the most closed states for tourism. The country's authorities allowed only business and transit travel, and also allowed in those traveling on a special pilgrim visa to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina. But in 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman presented a plan to reform all areas of life in Saudi Arabia - the Vision 2030 project. His main goal was to diversify the economy and reduce its dependence on oil exports , in particular through the development of tourism.

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In 2019, Saudi Arabia for the first time introduced tourist visas for citizens of 49 countries, including RUSSIA (electronica visa costs 535 Saudi riyals, about 13 thousand rubles. at the current exchange rate). By 2030, the country plans to receive 150 million tourists per year. “Russia will be one of the key markets we will focus on to achieve our goal,” Hamidaddin announces. To attract foreign tourists, Saudi Arabia is working with local partners in the countries, he said. For example, in Russia, the kingdom cooperates with Yandex for the purpose of “content development.”

Saudi Arabia may be of interest to tourists, Hamidaddin assures, as the country has a rich cultural heritage and a long coastline along the Red Sea, where resorts are actively developing. In 2017, Saudi authorities launched construction of the Red Sea Project, a new luxury resort that will appear on 22 of the kingdom's more than 90 islands in the Red Sea. As part of the master plan, 3 thousand hotel rooms, an airport and a marina were to be built on the islands by 2022. The project is planned to be completed by 2030.

Another project aimed, among other things, at developing tourism is Neom. it involves the construction of new “cities of the future” in the desert, which will operate using 100% renewable energy sources. Construction is being carried out in three regions: Oxagon - an innovative water port, Trojena - a tourist resort in a mountainous area and The Line - a 170 km long smart city, which will have a highway under the surface and wildlife preserved on the surface. According to the creators, Neom should bypass Dubai and become the most modern and attractive project in the Middle East, interesting for both business and tourists. The project is planned to be completed by 2025.

“In 2024 , we will open a resort for tourists on Sindala Island as part of the Neom project,” says Hamidaddin. According to the authorities, this resort will be the first on the territory of Neom and will be the center of yacht tourism on the Red Sea. In addition, according to Hamidaddin, the city of Ed-Diriyah, which is an object of historical and cultural heritage, is also interesting for tourists, and its Al-Turaif district is included in the UNESCO heritage list.

What Russian tour operators say

Since the beginning of 2024, tour operator Tez Tour has observed a “colossal” increase in sales of tours to Saudi Arabia, comparable to the total sales volume of this destination in 2023, the company’s press service told RBC. The capital Riyadh and the city of Jeddah are in demand. “The main flow of tourists is aimed at sightseeing tours; people want to get acquainted with local traditions and dive deeper into the culture of the Middle East. But, of course, some of the tourists are pilgrims,” the company says.

Demand for tours from Russia to Saudi Arabia is growing, confirms Daria Domostroeva, a representative of the Intourist tour operator. According to her, this is due to the fact that the country opened up to tourists relatively recently and is interesting to visit. The destination is also attractive for easy visa processing: Russians can apply for an electronic visa in one day at a cost of $140 and pay with Union Pay or through a tour operator in rubles. In addition, residents of the Islamic republics of Russia traditionally have a high demand for trips to the holy cities of Saudi Arabia, says Domostroeva. The number of pilgrims from Russia to the Hajj to Mecca is really increasing, agrees Igor Blinov, director of development of the tourism platform OnlineTur.ru. But in Saudi Arabia, in addition to religious ones, there are many more tourist attractions; business and tourist flows there are also growing, Blinov adds. Resort hotels of the international chains Rixos, Raffles, St. are already operating on the Red Sea islands. Regis, Jumeirah, etc.

In the future, Saudi Arabia may compete with the UAE and Egypt, Domostroeva believes. But for now, this direction for Russia can rather be classified as luxury rather than mass due to the lack of direct air transportation.

In addition, the tourism sector of Saudi Arabia is not adapted to the habits of mass Russian tourists - for example, the consumption of ALCOHOL is prohibited there, and the beaches are separate for men and women, Domostroeva recalls. Saudi Arabia is a country with fairly strict rules and is not suitable for lovers of nightlife and beach holidays, says a Tez Tour representative. Under country law, women must cover their heads and bodies completely, and swimsuits (covered burkinis) are only allowed in women's swimming pools and gyms. However, the Red Sea Destination resort under construction, which is aimed at foreign guests, will be an exception - the rules for staying there will comply with international standards, including wearing swimsuits and bikinis by the pools and on the beaches, said Loredana Pettinati, senior director of the project. There will be no segregation rules on the beach for men and women, and men and women booking a hotel at Red Sea Destination will not be asked about their couple status—whether they are married or not.

“In order for the tourist flow to become massive, we, together with the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority, are discussing various initiatives. For example, the possibility of reducing the cost of the visa fee, the prospect of introducing a visa-free regime,” adds the Intourist representative.

What about flights to Saudi Arabia?

In 2020, following the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic , Saudi Arabia, like other countries, closed its borders to foreign tourists. Russia officially resumed air traffic with Saudi Arabia at the end of May 2021, but direct flights have not been launched. Earlier, Vedomosti reported plans to launch direct flights between the countries.