RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s tourism and hospitality sector continued its strong growth in the first quarter of 2026, with the number of licensed hospitality facilities increasing by 22.7% compared to the same period last year, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

The latest Tourism Establishments Statistics report showed that the Kingdom had 6,122 licensed hospitality facilities by the end of the quarter. Of these, 3,159 were serviced apartments and other hospitality establishments, accounting for 51.6% of the total, while 2,963 were hotels, making up the remaining 48.4%.

A figure from GASTAT’s report showing the growth in tourism establishments from 2025 to 2026.

The report also highlighted growth in the number of operating tourism establishments with employees, which rose 9% year-on-year to around 177,031, compared to 162,473 during the first quarter of 2025.

Employment in tourism-related activities also expanded, reaching 1,047,313 workers, reflecting a 6.5% increase from 983,253 recorded a year earlier.

Saudi nationals accounted for 250,094 employees, representing 23.9% of the sector’s workforce, while 797,219 non-Saudi workers made up the remaining 76.1%.

Hotel room occupancy averaged 60.8% during the quarter, slightly lower than the 63% recorded in the same period of 2025. Meanwhile, serviced apartments and other hospitality facilities reported improved occupancy, rising to 51.6%, compared with 50.7% a year earlier.

A figure from GASTAT’s report showing the growth employment across tourism activities by nationality between 2025 and 2026.

Visitor stays also became slightly longer. The average hotel stay increased to 4.2 nights, up from 4.1 nights last year, while the average stay in serviced apartments and similar facilities rose to 2.2 nights, reflecting continued demand across Saudi Arabia’s expanding tourism sector.