Religious Tourism in Saudi Arabia

Religious Tourism in Saudi Arabia

Religious Tourism in Saudi Arabia

Religious tourism in Saudi Arabia has played a key role in the development of real estate and infrastructure, particularly in Makkah province. Regarded as one of the most important cities in the religion of Islam, Makkah is home to some of the holiest sites for Muslims, including the Masjid al-Haram. It is here that Muslims from around the world come to perform Umrah and the Hajj. During the Hajj, millions of people come to worship in unison and in Islam every adult with the financial and physical capacity, is expected to perform this pilgrimage once in a lifetime. In addition to Makkah, the holy city of Medina welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, who come to the area to visit the Tomb of the Prophet Mohammad and worship at local mosques.

The level of the influx of tourists to Saudi Arabia is having a major influence on the region and has resulted in large scale development of tourist facilities, infrastructure and real estate. In Mecca alone, the estimated revenue from the Hajj pilgrimage in more than one hundred million dollars. The level of inbound travel to the region has also had a knock on effect for other major companies in the Kingdom such as Saudi Arabian airlines which generates huge revenues from religious tourists. In particular the hotel industry in Makkah, Medina and across Saudi Arabia has benefitted from the high number of tourists requiring short term accommodation and now employs thousands of local people to service their guests year round.

In addition to direct revenue from tourist services, the vast amount of tourists and additional workforce required to service them have placed huge strain on local infrastructure. As a result, development of infrastructure and real estate projects in recent years has progressed rapidly in recent years. Makkah is now home to many modern skyscrapers and shopping malls. Infrastructure, in terms of local road networks and Jeddah airport, the closest international airport to the religious sites, have been rapidly upgraded to cater for the large number of religious tourists entering Saudi Arabia each year.

The effect of religious tourism in Saudi Arabia has been significant and widespread. The benefits to the economy, tourism, infrastructure and real estate development as well as increased employment opportunities for local Saudis have played an important role in recent years in Saudi Arabia. In years to come, religious tourism is likely to play an even broader role in the Saudi Arabian economy as the government strives to develop a more diverse economy to supplement the traditional revenues representing Saudi Arabia's position as the largest exporter of petroleum in the world.

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