Saudi Arabia posts SAR 27B BoP travel surplus in Q1 2025
Spending by inbound tourists reached a record SAR 49.4 billion in Q1 2025, marking a 10% hike compared to Q1 2024, according to Ministry of Tourism.
Accordingly, the first-quarter travel surplus grew by 12% year-on-year (YoY), the ministry said, citing data from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).
Travel surplus represents the difference between the spending of inbound and outbound travelers.
Spending by outbound travelers reached SAR 22.6 billion by the end of March 2025, up from about SAR 21 billion a year earlier, as shown in the following table:
Travel Item Details in BoP in Q1 2025 (SAR bln)
Q1 2024
Q1 2025
Change
Spending by Inbound Tourists
45.0
49.4
10 %
Spending by Outbound Travelers*
21.0
22.6
8 %
Surplus
24.0
26.8
12 %
*Spending by Saudi nationals and residents
The following table shows travel item in BoP since 2016:
*Spending by Saudi nationals and residents
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