When Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 during an interview with state TV station al-Arabiya in April 2016, the young prince was still a year away from his elevation to heir to the throne of the Saudi kingdom behind his father, King Salman.
Already, Bin Salman – known as MBS – was making a name for himself in the higher echelons of Saudi politics. His 84-page Vision 2030 strategy was an ambitious plan to wean Saudi Arabia from its reliance on oil. “The Saudi addiction to oil has disturbed the development of many sectors in past years,” MBS said.
Nearly a decade on, Vision 2030 has been the strategy around which everything else has coalesced. The opening up of the country to tourism after decades of isolation is an attempt to bring in a new source of revenue from visitors and provide opportunities outside of the oil sector for young Saudis.
What is Saudi Vision 2030?
Vision 2030 was first introduced on April 25, 2016, at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh, and was a roadmap to transforming Saudi Arabia’s economy with new industries including tourism, technology and renewable energy. It also included pledges to improve governance, crack down on corruption, and make huge changes to societal restrictions that had defined Saudi Arabia for generations, including restrictions on women’s rights.
A change that immediately grabbed headlines was the end to the decades-long ban on women driving in the Kingdom. Other changes included the setting up of the country’s sovereign wealth fund (the Public Investment Fund) and the opening of the country to foreign investment and to foreigners more generally.
Even in 2016, questions were raised about the feasibility of the timeline: 15 years is not a long time to introduce such major national changes. But in 2025, there have already been significant developments: the country is open in a way it never was before, and the tourist infrastructure has been significantly developed – something reflected in the ever-increasing numbers of visitors that are coming to the Kingdom every month.
What are the main themes of Vision 2030?
Vision 2030 is structured around the following three pillars:
A Vibrant Society
Focused on cultural initiatives, entertainment and infrastructure, this pillar aims to preserve and promote Saudi heritage and make it more accessible to both visitors and residents. Key to this has been the huge regeneration projects at historic sites like Diriyah, the birthplace of the Saudi nation, as well as ongoing work at AlUla and in Jeddah to restore long-neglected historical sites.
A Thriving Economy
Focused on reducing dependence on oil revenues by diversifying into industries like tourism, technology and renewable energy – perhaps the toughest nut to crack. Saudi’s petro-economy has not only led to over-reliance on fluctuating oil (and the fact that oil is a finite resource) but sucked generations of young Saudis into the sector on good salaries, with the result that few need to pursue careers outside of it.
Under this pillar, foreign investment is being actively encouraged, alongside initiatives to grow the private sector and create jobs. Increasing workforce participation, particularly among women and young Saudis, is critical.
An Ambitious Nation
Focused on reforming governance in the Kingdom to enhance transparency, accountability and efficiency – a nation that works for every citizen. This pillar also aims to modernise public services, reduce bureaucracy and ensure policy stability.
What does Vision 2030 mean for tourism in Saudi Arabia?
Historically, tourism in Saudi was concentrated on religious pilgrims, who have streamed to the religious sites of Mecca and Medina since time immemorial. This sector will continue to be a huge one for Saudi Arabia, and significant work is underway to improve facilities for pilgrims in cities like Mecca and Medina, as well as in Jeddah, a gateway to these cities for many.
The new focus under Vision 2030 is on non-religious international travellers, and on marketing Saudi Arabia’s beaches and deserts – and their new five-star resorts – as high-end destinations to rival those of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and other luxury stops like the Maldives. Vision 2030 introduced tourist visas in 2019 (prior to 2019 it was extremely difficult to get a visa to enter the country for any reason other than as a pilgrim).
Vision 2030 also prioritised restoration of sites like Diriyah and the ancient ruins at AlUla, as well as resorts on both the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf coasts. For Saudi, this is an undeniably luxury play: all of the new resorts and hotels that have come online in the last five years are extremely high-end and focused on world-class experiences.
By opening up previously restricted areas and investing in global-standard hospitality infrastructure, Saudi Arabia aims to attract 100 million visitors annually by 2030.
Key Projects in Vision 2030
Neom
Neom, announced in 2017, is a high-tech planned city in northwest Saudi Arabia, which will eventually span 26,500 square kilometers. It includes ‘The Line’, a futuristic linear city designed without roads or cars. Although progress has been made with early infrastructure development and partnerships with global firms, questions remain about the feasibility of the ambitious project, given its high costs and complex logistics. Its success will depend on overcoming these logistics as well as walking the fine line between environmental concerns and the need for development.
The Red Sea Project
Launched in 2017, the Red Sea Project aims to create a sustainable tourism destination centered on the more than 90 islands that exist off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It has made a great effort to focus on eco-friendly development, including solar-powered infrastructure and strict biodiversity protections.
By 2023, the first phase, including an airport and several luxury resorts, had been completed, but questions remain about how to maintain environmental sustainability while scaling up for mass tourism.
AlUla
Featuring ancient sites like Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, AlUla has been at the forefront of the tourism push in Saudi Arabia, with new boutique hotels and festivals such as ‘Winter at Tantora’ drawing international attention.
Much of the marketing of Saudi Arabia for tourism abroad has focused on AlUla, everything from its unique 2,000 year old sites to the opportunities for stargazing and spending time in the desert. Transport links between the site and Jeddah and Riyadh are improving every month, and new hotels are opening every year.
Frequently Asked Questions about Vision 2030
What is the goal of Vision 2030?
The stated primary goal is to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and reduce its reliance on oil revenues while improving governance, societal inclusion, and quality of life for residents and expatriates.
What are the main projects of Vision 2030?
Major projects include Neom, the Red Sea Project and AlUla, which focus on sustainability, tourism and innovation.
What challenges does Vision 2030 face?
Key challenges include managing the scale and cost of reform, as well as ensuring that modernisation is accepted by the nation as a whole. Other challenges include addressing workforce gaps, and mitigating geopolitical and economic risks.
What impact will Vision 2030 have on Saudi Arabia?
Vision 2030 has the potential to position Saudi Arabia as a global leader in innovation and tourism while creating a more diversified and sustainable economy. Unlike many of its neighbours, Saudi Arabia has a huge domestic population capable of sustaining the industries that Vision 2030 wants to promote.
It has the potential to enact genuine change on the scale of what was achieved in the United Arab Emirates, but on a far larger scale.
