Saudi Arabia's Expo 2030 fuels surge in business, event travel across the Kingdom

Al Arabiya

01-07-2025

Saudi Arabia is rapidly emerging as a premier destination for business and event travel, as preparations for Expo 2030 and massive Vision 2030 giga-projects accelerate infrastructure, tourism, and international engagement across the Kingdom.
'Expo 2030 is set to be a significant event for Saudi Arabia, establishing Riyadh as a hub of global dialogue and innovation,' said Stan Klyuy, Chief Commercial Officer of Tumodo, a digital platform that manages corporate travel.
Redefining tourism
Giga-projects like NEOM, a $500 billion futuristic city; The Red Sea Project, an ultra-luxury regenerative tourism destination; and Qiddiya, a major entertainment hub outside Riyadh, are all redefining what business and leisure tourism look like in the region.
'Extended stays and multi-purpose trips will become more common, with travelers combining Expo participation with site visits to giga-projects such as NEOM and the Red Sea developments,' Klyuy said.
Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 reform agenda originally aimed to attract 100 million visitors annually by 2030 – but already surpassed that goal seven years early.
The Kingdom recorded a total of 116 million visitors in 2024, including 29.7 million international arrivals, an 8 percent increase from 2023, according to the Ministry of Tourism. The new goal now targets 150 million annual visitors by 2030.
Tourism's contribution to Saudi Arabia's GDP has also surged, reaching 11.5 percent in 2023, up from just 3 percent in 2019, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
Inbound tourism spending in 2024 hit $45 billion (SAR 168.5 billion) – a 19 percent year-on-year rise.
Corporate travel behavior
According to Klyuy, Tumodo has observed distinct changes in corporate travel behavior.
Riyadh has become a MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) destination, with international conferences, summits, and investment forums increasingly scheduled around major cultural and sporting events.
'We've seen a clear rise in last-minute bookings, multi-city itineraries, and extended stays,' he noted.
'These trends reflect how Saudi Arabia's mega-events are reshaping travel demand and driving sustained economic engagement.'
He added that events like Expo 2030 are prompting more companies to adopt sustainable travel policies aligned with the Kingdom's environmental goals.
'In line with Vision 2030's focus on sustainability, companies will place greater emphasis on responsible travel choices,' Klyuy said.
According to the CCO, four industries are leading the demand for event-related travel to Saudi Arabia.
These include: technology and startups, which regularly attend innovation events such as LEAP in Riyadh; energy and sustainability, driven by the Kingdom's Green Initiative; finance and investment, including sovereign wealth funds and global VCs; and hospitality and real estate, as major developments seek international partnerships
A booming entertainment sector
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's entertainment sector is also booming, according to Cosmin Ivan, CEO of Platinumlist, a regional ticketing platform.
'Fans in this region don't sit around waiting; they book, they fly, they show up,' Ivan said.
'We've seen this again and again: when people don't get the show at home, they go find it. But now, more and more of those shows are coming to Saudi Arabia.'
Platinumlist is seeing growing demand from regional and international travelers to attend events in the Kingdom, as Saudi cities host high-profile concerts, sporting events, and festivals.
In 2024, Riyadh Season alone attracted more than 16 million visitors, according to the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA).
'Big international events open the door for massive opportunities,' Ivan said.
'In Saudi Arabia, we're not just seeing ticket sales rise, but also long-term shifts in how people travel, spend, and explore.'
With Expo 2030 expected to bring tens of millions of visitors to Riyadh, Ivan said Platinumlist is preparing to meet international demand through multi-language listings, cross-border payments, and curated travel guides that help guests explore Saudi Arabia's evolving cultural and entertainment scene.
Catalyst for long-term change
Both executives agree that Saudi Arabia's transformation is far from temporary – it's setting the stage for sustained global engagement.
'These events aren't one-offs,' Klyuy said. 'They're catalysts for long-term change. The Expo, NEOM, the Red Sea Project – these are reshaping how the world sees Saudi Arabia and how businesses operate in the region.'
With billions invested, record-breaking tourist figures, and an expanding global events portfolio, Saudi Arabia is positioning Expo 2030 not just as a milestone, but as a launching pad for a new era of tourism-driven growth and international engagement.