RIYADH — Saudi Arabia ranked first globally for growth in international tourism receipts during the first quarter of 2025, while the Quality of Life Program contributed SR78 billion to the Kingdom's GDP according to the program's 2025 annual report.The Quality of Life Program — which helped create 387,000 jobs — highlighted major achievements across tourism, urban development, culture, sports, entertainment, and municipal services, underscoring the Kingdom's progress in enhancing quality of life and advancing sustainable development.According to the report, the program's contribution to non-government investment totaled SR21.8 billion, while the local content ratio rose to 44 percent, surpassing the target of 37 percent.
(Saudi Press Agency)
The report highlighted tourism as one of the program's strongest-performing sectors. During the summer, Saudi Arabia welcomed more than 32 million domestic and international visitors, a 26 percent increase over the previous season, while tourism spending exceeded SR53.2 billion, up 15 percent.International tourist arrivals also surged 102 percent, far exceeding the global growth rate of 3 percent and the Middle East average of 44 percent, placing Saudi Arabia third globally and second regionally for growth in international tourist arrivals.The report also highlighted the launch of the Global Quality of Life Index, which has attracted participation from more than 90 cities in 35 countries and has been incorporated into the strategic plan of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), reinforcing Saudi Arabia's leadership in urban quality-of-life initiatives.As for locals, citizen satisfaction with municipal services reached 85 percent, exceeding the target of 74 percent.
