Seeking 50 million tourists: The unusual country hoping to attract visitors in 2022

Jabal Qarah is well known for its intricate natural
caves and is a major tourist attraction in the east of Saudi Arabia.
Photo: Shehzaad Maroof/ Getty Images

Saudi Arabia is expecting 50 million tourist visits in 2022 as it seeks to rejuvenate a nascent effort to promote domestic and international vacations stymied by the pandemic.

"We have already started the recovery journey, and it will continue to 2023, 2024," Tourism Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb told Bloomberg TV at the Saudi Green Initiative Forum. He also unveiled a new centre focused on sustainable tourism as part of efforts, announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the weekend, to bring planet-warming emissions in the world's biggest exporter of oil to net zero by 2060.

The coronavirus crippled worldwide travel just months after Saudi officials outlined plans to attract foreign holidaymakers for the first time. The country is relying on tourism to help drive economic diversification and create jobs for its growing population.

By Simone Foxman.

Full story at Traveller.