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THE TRUE KSA · TRAVEL & TOURISM

Discover Saudi Arabia, your way.

From sacred journeys to Makkah and Madinah to Red Sea shores, mountain air, living heritage and vibrant city weekends, choose a journey that fits the way you want to travel.

Explore experiencesExplore all 13 regions

The True KSA is an independent information platform — not a government agency, visa issuer, Hajj or Umrah operator, or medical provider. Last checked: 14 Oct 2026

A road winds through golden sandstone mountains and an oasis valley at sunset in Saudi Arabia.

Illustrative image

Choose the Saudi journey that fits you

Twelve ways to travel. Figures appear only where an official source counts that purpose; the rest are planning notes.

Religious Tours: Makkah and Madinah

Sacred places, historic mosques, Umrah and Hajj orientation, and practical planning — with links to the official services.

Explore Religious Tours

Tourism in numbers

2025 is the latest complete year. Preliminary Q1 2026 figures and the Hajj season count are shown separately and are never added to the annual totals.

Full year 2025

The two spending components add up to SAR 303.7bn; the Ministry rounds the total to about SAR 304bn.

Inbound tourists by main purpose, 2025

Inbound tourists by main purpose of trip, 2025 (millions and share of inbound tourists)
Main purposeTouristsShare
Religion
14.1m
48.3%
Leisure
7.0m
24.1%
Visiting friends & relatives
4.37m
14.9%
Business
2.3m
7.7%
Other
1.5m
5.1%
  • Inbound tourism only. Each trip has one main purpose — the purpose without which the trip would not have taken place.
  • Shares are rounded and add to 100.1%; counts add to about 29.27m against the published 29.3m.
  • Visiting friends & relatives is a trip purpose, not a count of families travelling together.
  • Domestic trips are different: visiting friends & relatives led domestic tourism in 2025 with 37.7m tourists.

Source:DataSaudi — DataSaudi — Tourism sector (opens an official website in a new tab)Ministry of Tourism — Tourism definitions (opens an official website in a new tab)

Q1 2026 — preliminary

Preliminary · quarterly
Inbound + domestic tourists
About 37.2m
Total spending
About SAR 82.7bn
Domestic tourists
About 28.9m (+16%)
Domestic spending
SAR 34.7bn (+8%)

Growth is versus Q1 2025. Preliminary estimates; one quarter only — not comparable with annual totals.

Source:Ministry of Tourism — Domestic tourism grows about 16% in Q1 2026 (preliminary) (opens an official website in a new tab)

Hajj 1446H (2025) — separate count

1,673,230 pilgrims

1,506,576 from abroad · 166,654 citizens and residents

A seasonal administrative count that includes domestic pilgrims and overlaps annual tourism concepts. Do not add it to the tourist totals.

Source:General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) — Hajj statistics 1446H (2025) (opens an official website in a new tab)

One Kingdom. Thirteen regions. Many ways to travel.

Search by region or city, or filter by travel theme. Gateway cities are curated travel entry points, not a list of every town in the region.

Showing 13 of 13 regions

  • The Riyadh skyline at sunrise, seen beyond a historic mud-brick wall.Illustrative image

    Riyadh Region

    منطقة الرياض

    City energy, heritage, museums, dining and seasonal events.

    Gateway cities

    • Riyadh
    • Diriyah
    • Al Kharj
    • Shaqra
    • Ushaiger

    City lifeHeritage

  • Illustration of pilgrims in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque in Makkah at sunset.Illustrative image

    Makkah Region

    منطقة مكة المكرمة

    Pilgrimage, Jeddah heritage, Red Sea gateways and Taif highlands.

    Gateway cities

    • Makkah
    • Jeddah
    • Taif
    • Rabigh
    • Al Lith
    • Al Qunfudhah

    Sacred journeysCity lifeHeritageCoast & islandsMountains & highlands

  • Illustration of visitors walking across the courtyard of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.Illustrative image

    Madinah Region

    منطقة المدينة المنورة

    Spiritual heritage, oasis landscapes, AlUla and the Red Sea.

    Gateway cities

    • Madinah
    • AlUla
    • Yanbu
    • Khaybar
    • Badr

    Sacred journeysHeritageCoast & islandsDesert & oasis

  • A palm-lined waterfront promenade on the Arabian Gulf at sunset.Illustrative image

    Eastern Province

    المنطقة الشرقية

    Arabian Gulf waterfronts, Al Ahsa oasis and culture.

    Gateway cities

    • Dammam
    • Al Khobar
    • Dhahran
    • Al Ahsa (Hofuf)
    • Jubail
    • Qatif

    City lifeCoast & islandsDesert & oasisHeritage

  • A man in a thobe looks out over misty green mountains and terraces in the Aseer highlands.Illustrative image

    Aseer Region

    منطقة عسير

    Highlands, mountain air, heritage villages and nature.

    Gateway cities

    • Abha
    • Khamis Mushait
    • Bisha
    • Tanomah
    • Rijal Almaa

    Mountains & highlandsHeritage

  • Rugged red mountains meet turquoise water along the northwestern Red Sea coast.Illustrative image

    Tabuk Region

    منطقة تبوك

    Northwest coast, mountains, desert and long routes.

    Gateway cities

    • Tabuk
    • Duba
    • Umluj
    • Haql
    • Tayma
    • Wadi Al Disah

    Coast & islandsMountains & highlandsDesert & oasis

  • A farmer picks dates from a palm beside a market in a green oasis.Illustrative image

    Al Qassim Region

    منطقة القصيم

    Palm landscapes, local food, markets and heritage.

    Gateway cities

    • Buraidah
    • Unaizah
    • Al Rass
    • Al Bukayriyah

    Desert & oasisHeritage

  • A rock outcrop and desert plain under a sunset sky in the north.Illustrative image

    Hail Region

    منطقة حائل

    Northern desert, forts and rock-art heritage.

    Gateway cities

    • Hail
    • Jubbah
    • Baqaa
    • Al Ghazalah

    Desert & oasisHeritage

  • Open desert plains with distant escarpments and grazing camels.Illustrative image

    Northern Borders Region

    منطقة الحدود الشمالية

    Open northern landscapes and quieter inland journeys.

    Gateway cities

    • Arar
    • Rafha
    • Turaif
    • Al Uwayqilah

    Desert & oasis

  • Clear turquoise water, mangroves and a small island on the southern Red Sea coast.Illustrative image

    Jazan Region

    منطقة جازان

    Southern Red Sea, islands, mountains and local culture.

    Gateway cities

    • Jazan
    • Sabya
    • Abu Arish
    • Farasan Islands
    • Fayfa

    Coast & islandsMountains & highlandsHeritage

  • Two men walk past tall mud-brick tower houses among palms in Najran.Illustrative image

    Najran Region

    منطقة نجران

    Southern heritage, distinctive architecture and desert.

    Gateway cities

    • Najran
    • Sharurah
    • Hubuna
    • Badr Al Janub

    HeritageDesert & oasis

  • A stone village on a green hillside among misty mountains in Al-Bahah.Illustrative image

    Al-Bahah Region

    منطقة الباحة

    Mountain viewpoints, stone villages and green valleys.

    Gateway cities

    • Al-Bahah
    • Baljurashi
    • Al-Mandaq
    • Al-Makhwah
    • Dhee Ayn

    Mountains & highlandsHeritage

  • Olive groves and ancient-looking stone columns in a northern oasis landscape.Illustrative image

    Al-Jouf Region

    منطقة الجوف

    Northern oasis landscapes, archaeology and local food.

    Gateway cities

    • Sakaka
    • Dumat Al-Jandal
    • Qurayyat
    • Tabarjal

    Desert & oasisHeritage

  • Planning a specific place?

    Check opening hours, access, seasons and bookings on the official destination site before you travel.

    Visit Saudi (official) (opens an official website in a new tab)

Themes are editorial groupings for discovery, not official classifications.

City gateways

Start from a city you know. Each link opens its region in the explorer above.

Route ideas to start from

Pairings to inspire your own plan. They are not packages, and no drive times or schedules are implied — check transport, access and opening details before you book.

  • Illustration of visitors walking across the courtyard of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.Illustrative image

    Makkah + Madinah

    Regions: Makkah Region, Madinah Region

    A journey centred on the two holy cities, with time for reflection between them.

    Check before you go: Visa, Umrah or Hajj permits, seasonal rules and transport between the cities.

  • A sandy cove with clear turquoise water below rugged mountains on the Red Sea coast.Illustrative image

    Jeddah + the Red Sea

    Regions: Makkah Region

    Historic Jeddah's lanes and markets, then time on the coast.

    Check before you go: Access to historic districts, beach and marine-activity rules, and licensed operators.

  • Mud-brick buildings and palms in a restored Najdi heritage district.Illustrative image

    Riyadh + Diriyah

    Regions: Riyadh Region

    The capital's museums, dining and events alongside Najdi heritage.

    Check before you go: Opening hours, tickets and seasonal event dates.

  • Sandstone rock formations rising from the desert at sunset in AlUla.Illustrative image

    AlUla + Madinah

    Regions: Madinah Region

    Desert heritage landscapes and the city of the Prophet's Mosque, in one region.

    Check before you go: Site access and bookings, guided-visit rules and seasonal conditions.

  • A stone village on a green hillside among misty mountains in Al-Bahah.Illustrative image

    Aseer + Al-Bahah

    Regions: Aseer Region, Al-Bahah Region

    Highland air, terraced slopes and stone villages across the southwest.

    Check before you go: Mountain-road conditions, weather and village access.

  • A palm-lined waterfront promenade on the Arabian Gulf at sunset.Illustrative image

    Eastern Province + Al Ahsa

    Regions: Eastern Province

    Gulf waterfronts paired with the palm oasis and markets of Al Ahsa.

    Check before you go: Opening hours, heritage-site access and summer heat.

Plan your trip

Confirm current visa, permit, event, access, transport and opening details with the responsible source before you travel.

A host in a red shemagh pours Saudi coffee in a traditional majlis.Illustrative image

Wellness and medical travel: this page gives no medical advice and promises no health outcome. Confirm licensing and suitability with the provider and your own doctor.

Sources & verification

Each figure links to its official source. If a figure changes, the new value, period, source, release date and check date are recorded before the page is updated.

The True KSA is an independent information platform — not a government agency, visa issuer, Hajj or Umrah operator, or medical provider.

Last checked: 14 Oct 2026