ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with comprehending tourism development pathways in Saudi Arabia. It initially presents an overview of tourism demand and discusses the key facilitators of tourism development. It evaluates the challenges that the country faces in developing tourism, particularly the rigidity of the tourist visa regime, limited public transportation systems, over-reliance on foreign workers, political turmoil in the Middle East, safety issues in pilgrimage sites and zones and economic concerns pertaining to low oil prices. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comprises the majority of the Arabian Peninsula and is the second largest country in the Arab world. It initially presents an overview of tourism demand and discusses the key facilitators of tourism development. In 2014, the president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), formerly known as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), praised two resolutions made by the Council of Ministers on 13 January 2014.
