A new report from Google has revealed that Saudi Arabia will be one of the world's top tourist destinations by 2040, outranking popular destinations like Thailand, the UK and Germany.
According to the research, the Middle East will see an "influx of travellers" fuelled by "ambitious tourism projects such as NEOM and Expo 2030", plus easier visa processes and state-of-the-art infrastructure upgrades.
Compared to official figures from 2019 analysed by Google and Deloitte, Saudi Arabia is set to record one of the biggest jumps in visitor numbers among any destination in the world.
Outbound travel from the Kingdom is also predicted to substantially increase, with new flights to destinations across Asia, the Middle East and Europe unlocking easier travel from Riyadh, Jeddah and other airports.
The Travel 2040 report is based on billions of Google search queries and more than 90,000 external data points from the past five decades.
It reveals the strong economic correlations and long-term trends that will shape the travel landscape in the coming 15 years, with the overall number of international trips set to skyrocket to nearly 2.4 billion.
"Brands in growing destinations will need to adapt to different kinds of travellers," said Raúl González, co-author of the report and CEO of Barceló Hotel Group for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
"When people booked a hotel 30 years ago, they just wanted a bed. Now they want a personalised and local experience."
It's not the first time Google has shone the spotlight on Saudi Arabia this year. In February, the search giant revealed that searches for NEOM had tripled in 12 months, with positive sentiment rising by 26 percentage points over the period.
In September, Saudi Arabia recorded a staggering 73% increase in international tourist arrivals and a 207% growth in international tourism revenues, according to the World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism.
Then just a few weeks ago, Skyscanner ranked two of the Kingdom's key travel destinations among the world's top places to go in 2025.
The spectacular UNESCO World Heritage site of AlUla in Saudi's northwest recorded a staggering 133 percent increase in queries, coming in sixth place globally, while the capital city of Riyadh surged 116%, ranking it eighth.
Last month, the company released another trends report revealing that Saudi travellers are increasingly prioritising destinations that offer cultural, social and communal experiences over simple relaxation or sightseeing.
Next year, some of the most popular spots for the Kingdom's globetrotters include European gems like the Italian capital Rome and Poland's Krakow, with its mix of history, culture and world-class dining.
Top 15 destinations by arrivals in 2040, according to Google
1. Spain
2. France
3. USA
4. China
5. Mexico
6. Italy
7. Turkey
8. Saudi Arabia
9. Thailand
10. Germany
11. UK
12. Japan
13. Malaysia
14. Indonesia
15. UAE
